Burning Low
by superiorduperior
Summary: After a tragic event as children, Elsa and her twin Aleksandra (Based off Evil!Elsa) have been trying to fit in the best they could while holding emotional scars. But after meeting Anna, perhaps Elsa really isn't alone in all this and has a place to fit in. Rated M for language, darker themes in later chapters, and eventual smut. Modern au. Elsanna.
1. A New Beginning

**A/N: **Welcome to the first chapter of what is sure to take up the majority of my free time. This is an Elsanna fic, and will contain darker themes in later chapters with a few triggers. I'll be sure to put a warning in the chapters what hold them, but you've been warned. Constructive criticism certainly welcome.

'Aleks', short for 'Aleksandra' is essentially the early concept design of Elsa when she was still the evil snow queen. The reference I used for the character can be found on my profile.

Big thanks to jimbabwe88 for giving me that last bit of reassurance to write this thing. You rock, man! Thank you again.

Standard disclaimer that I don't own anything, it all belongs to Frozen and Disney.

* * *

"Come on, Elsa. You know it won't be _that_ bad."

The feminine voice came from the other side of the car, brisk and with a faint undertone of worry. Elsa shifted in her seat and turned to look out of the passenger side window. There were dark clouds in the sky as the midday sun struggled to break through the cover. It had been raining off and on all day so far and it probably wasn't finished. Which meant it would probably grow even more humid. _Great._ The thought of rain and possible storms caused Elsa to tense a little before turning back to the source of the voice.

"I know, Aleks. But this is a big step for me. For _us_." Her reply shook with worry near the end as Elsa offered a half smile to try and lighten the mood a little. Aleks brought a hand off of the wheel to scratch the back of her head tussling the short, midnight black hair that Elsa always thought made her twin look like an anime character. But was a stark contrast to her own platinum blonde hair, and one of the few physical differences that set them apart. She turned her head to meet Elsa's gaze and offered her own half smile in response. "Yeah I know. But don't you worry. If anyone messes with you, I'll be right there to beat their ass into a tiny quivering pulp." The statement was very direct and Elsa knew she was serious by the way her eyes widened as the word "pulp".

Elsa wondered how they managed to get themselves into this predicament. Here they were, in their shared car on the way to start the next chapter of life. They were to be college freshman and the very thought of it petrified the blonde. She pursed her lips and brought her knees to her chest before resting her head on top of them. The soft denim of her jeans almost felt cool on her chin and it brought a little comfort to the inner turmoil inside her. As they turned another corner, the green blur of the passing trees caught her attention before she shifted her eyes back to the sky. The sun was hardly visible now as it seemed to be losing the battle against the dark clouds above. _How fitting. I'm sure there's some sort of metaphor or analogy here. _Elsa shook her head before turning back to her sister, extending her arm to fix the few random hairs on the back of her head that were misplaced when she scratched. She also adjusted the light blue hair band she wore. _I'm not too sure why she even wears that. Her hair is short enough that it just kind of works it's way out when she runs her hand through it. Always framing her face perfectly in the front and nearly straight up in the back._

"It wouldn't be so bad if I knew the person I would be sharing a room with for the year." Elsa stared blankly at the dash and brought her voice down to barely an audible whisper. "I wish we could rearrange this entire situation." She brought her forehead to her knees and let out a sigh. That thought bothered Elsa, because she really didn't know who she would be sharing a room with. They weren't able to register in time to be able to request their own roommate. They barely even made registration at all, and the only dorms available were two separate ones who previously only had one resident. What if her roommate was messy? What if they were completely rude and inconsiderate? What if they left clothes all over the place? All these questions were circling in her head and it did not make her feel any better of the situation. She didn't even know the gender of her to-be roommate. Did they even allow opposite genders to share a dorm? She couldn't remember. Instead she lowered her legs and stuck her hands in the red hoodie she was wearing before blowing the platinum blonde fringe from her eyes.

Aleks noticed the display of discontentment from her sister, she had never really been good at hiding her emotions from her. Elsa was growing restless and it definitely did not go unnoticed. "Hey, come on. It's not like I'll be on a different planet. I won't even be in a different building, just a different floor." She remarked with a bit of reassurance in her voice and playfully pushed her knuckles against her twin's shoulder. Elsa looked up at her with the icy blue eyes she shared with her sister before offering another half smile. "I know how you're feeling. Anxious, nervous-" her voice trailed off as it was brought low to a whisper. "-afraid." With a shake of her head she focused back on the road and noticed a green sign indicating their destination wasn't too far off.

"Maybe an hour until we arrive. Traffic has been pretty light, so maybe even earlier." Aleks said as she tried to change the subject and give Elsa something different to think about. Seeing her sister like this worried her and she would do all she can to alleviate her twin's stress. "I'll come with you to your dorm first when we get there, I'll size up whoever you have the pleasure of sharing the room with" There was a bit of a cocky tone under her words as she bit her bottom lip and grinned, showing a row of perfectly white teeth. Elsa couldn't help but reveal a smug grin. Aleks had always been there for her whenever she felt uneasy or nervous. Even now when she knew that she had her own worries, she gladly offered herself to ease Elsa. Well, it was less of an "offer" and more of a command, but the sentiment was not lost. "Rough 'em up a little bit if they look shady just to let them know that if they mess with you-" Her tone suddenly got more serious as she pointed her thumb towards herself and offered a wink before lightening her tone. "-They mess with me."

Elsa straightened up and played with the large braid she kept her hair in, taking the ends in between her thumb and index finger inspecting the ends carefully. She appreciated her twin's attempt to lighten the mood between them and offered another genuine smile. "Like that one time you gave a black eye to that one jerks name back in eighth grade? What was his name? Thomas? Taka?" She chuckled as she remembered that one particular bully who was giving her a hard time. She remembered watching Aleks dash across the lunch room in a blur before wailing into the boy's face. "You know after that I heard he started going by the name 'Scar' because of how bad you blackened his eye." She scoffed and shook her head.

"Oh yeah, Grandmother Gothel gave me one hell of a stern talking to once we got back that day because I had been suspended because of that!" Aleks' response came with a chuckle of her own. She tugged on her dark blue blouse and messed with a button that had popped out that she just noticed. "Did that snot-nosed brat ever mess with you again? By the time I was allowed back in school he avoided me like the plague." Pride laced her voice.

"No, as a matter of fact nobody else messed with me that year if I recall."

"Didn't want to be made into an example like the other, I guess." Aleks shrugged with a cockiness that caused Elsa to feel small in the shadow of her sister. "What was he antagonizing you about anyway?" The question was random and caused a look of confusion on Elsa's face. "If I recall correctly, he teasing me about my shoes I think? Or my hair?" Elsa honestly couldn't remember what she was being picked on in that particular instance. It happened so often it all just kind of blurred together. But, the memory still hurt Elsa and her twin noticed this when she lifted her knees back up and buried her face in them. Aleks instantly felt ashamed because of how her seemingly innocent question caused distress in her sister.

"Hey." She did her best to bring out a soothing tone. "None of that, now." Elsa perked back up and looked at her sister, then decided to turn around to gaze out of the window again. The clouds began to lighten up a bit and the sun was more prominent, causing the still dampened highway to glisten like silver. Although it looked cool and inviting, Elsa knew that the hot summer heat and the horrid humidity from the fresh rain would reveal the quite the opposite.

"It's like a clean slate, you know." Her sister's voice pulled her out of the thoughts about the weather. "It's a whole new city, whole new people, whole new opportunities." Aleks tried to sound hopeful to brighten her twin's mood. _Yeah. New opportunities and people to make the new city seem like a living hell. _Elsa put on a mask to try and hide her pessimistic view on the situation, offering a faux smile to her sister in hopes of lessening her worry. "I know, sis." Was all the blonde could get out less she dwell too long on the subject and bring a whole new wave of emotions to her.

Aleks didn't seem to notice that the reassurance was fake and accepted it with a slight nod. She leaned forward slightly to read an incoming sign before widening her eyes at the words she read. "Hey, Elsa. What do you say we stop and get a bite to eat before we take down the last half hour or so of the trip?" She offered with a wide grin, hoping her sister would agree with her. The thought of food at the moment caused Elsa's stomach to tense into knots, but couldn't disagree with her twin when she looked so bright and hopeful. _Her love for food is certainly something that would be feared. Getting in between Aleks and her food is a death wish. Where does she even put it all? _Elsa softly chuckled at her own thought before giving a similar grin to her sister. "Sure thing."


	2. Pete's Place

**A/N:** Chapter 2! I was honestly surprised at the amount of support I got from just one small chapter. I'd like to say updates would come roughly every 6-12 days but they'll probably just come sporadically.

After the next chapter or so we won't see too much of Aleks for awhile. She still has her role to play in all this, but she'll fade into the background for a bit.

We meet Anna next chapter, I believe! Enjoy!

* * *

The parking lot was nearly empty by the time they had arrived. Elsa looked out of the window and felt a bubbling warmth build inside of her as she saw the sun had finally came out and couldn't see a single cloud in the sky. She smiled when witnessing the large grin on her twin's face after the car had been shut off. Stepping outside of the car and closing the door, she turned back and waited for her sister to join her. Her prior guess proved to be true when the humidity seemed to slapped her in the face. It was sticky and she instantly began to feel disgusting under her clothes. Her eyes dropped to the car which wasn't anything spectacular, just a simple dark blue Nissan something. Elsa didn't really know what it was aside from the Nissan logo on it but it had decent gas mileage, got them from point 'a' to point 'b', and was free from it being a high school graduation present from their grandmother.

"Ready to go in, Elsa? Doesn't seem to be many people here." Aleks stated, knowing that last bit would stifle any kind of worries Elsa may have had a little. She looked at the large neon sign above the simple brick building, it seemed to be a local burger joint. But the outside seemed clean enough so it was a pretty safe assumption that the inside would be fairly nice on the inside as well. "After wards we'll hit the road again with full stomachs." She checked the watch on her wrist which read 12:47. "We should be at the college around 2:30 maybe, which will give us plenty of time to unwind and unpack before hitting some dinner." There was an obvious skip to her step when she grabbed Elsa's wrist and pulled her towards the door.

The inside was how Elsa expected, fairly clean with booths lining the walls with stools lining the bar in front of them. There was a red and yellow color scheme going on that Elsa didn't really care for. A bell on the door alerted the staff to the entrance of the two new patrons. "Go ahead and sit yourselves down where y'all wish, I'll be there in a jiffy!" came a scratchy, gruff voice from the kitchen behind the counter.

Aleks shrugged at her sister as they sat themselves in a booth near the corner of the restaurant. "Check out the menu, this stuff is great!"

Elsa picked up the laminated menu and opened it to reveal only two pages. One side read 'burgers' in large letters, and the other side said 'toppings'. She shifted uncomfortably. "Not a lot of choices..." She muttered under her breath.

Aleks grinned. "Simple! Just the way I like it!"

Peeking over the menu, the blonde shook her head at her sister. _She'd probably make a great chef the way she-_

Her thoughts were cut off by the large, greasy man who stumbled up to their table. The white apron he had on covered in grease stains. The man scratched the scruff on his large chin and pulled out a small notebook. "Names Pete, and I welcome you fine ladies to 'Pete's Place', home of the best damn burger in town! What'll you have?" He was probably loud enough to shake the foundation of the building.

Aleks grimaced. "Jesus man, did you spill the grease on you or bathe in it?"

The deep laugh from the man was annoyingly obnoxious. He doubled over as he braced himself on the table, causing Elsa to jump back.

"Oh man, I like your sense of humor missy! Remind me of my son P.J only you're prettier." Pete managed to get out while wiping a tear from his eye. "Now what can I get for you two?"

Aleks rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Yeah, I'll have a double cheeseburger. Add bacon and take off the salad."

A look of confusion grew formed on Pete's large face. "Salad? Missy I don't know if you caught on, but this is a burger place! We serve burgers."

She dropped her menu and looked at the man with utter disgust."So I see you're as dense as you are fat." Her words were laced with a cocky humor. "I mean no lettuce or tomato."

Pete shrugged, obviously not catching the insult. "Alright, sounds good. What about you, blondie?"

Elsa sunk and looked at her sister, face falling as her breathing increased slightly. She mouthed something at her twin before folding her hands in her lap. Aleks understood immediately and gave a nod with a somber smile.

"She'll have a cheeseburger with swiss instead of american with extra pickle." Trying to sound as neutral as possible and not insult the man again.

Scratching his head Pete raised an eyebrow. "The lady can't speak for herself?" The question came out a little more abrasive than he meant.

Elsa sunk as Aleks' stare bore into the man, a rising anger in her eyes. "I'll only tell you once. Don't-" her grip tightened. "Make any snide comments about my sister."

Pete backed up and raised his hands in defense. "Listen lady, I wasn't trying to-"

His words were cut off as Aleks jumped from the table and grabbed the man by the apron. She pulled him closer until their faces were hardly an inch apart. She scowled and brought her voice to an aggressive whisper. "So help me God you weren't trying to be snide." Her tone was brought to an exaggerated impression of the large man. "_The lady can't speak for herself?"_ Blue eyes bore into the man's shaking gaze. "Don't comment about my sister. Don't talk to my sister. Don't _think_ about my sister. You get your fat ass into that kitchen. Cook our food. And for every imperfection I find in the burgers-" She gave a cocky grin. "I won't spoil the surprise." The threat was given in a soft whisper.

Pete was practically shaking in his shoes as the grip on him was released. "Yes ma'am, sorry ma'am, I'll get right on that!" His voice was shaky, unsure, and panicked as he ran off behind the counter.

Elsa felt pressure in her eyes as she felt her eyelids fill with tears, nearly threatening to fall. Pete really wasn't trying to be offensive in any way. Elsa at least figured that much. But leave it to her sister to always come to her aid whenever she felt threatened. She loved her sister. She really did. She was there for her when nobody else was, defending her when she was defenseless. The rock when the world was shaking. The shield when swords were being flailed at her. The candle in the smothering dark.

Aleks slammed her fists on the table, causing Elsa to jerk her head up to see her sister gritting her teeth. Her eyes widened when she noticed frost skittering across the table, the epicenter her twin's tight grip.

"Aleks...the ice!" The words were unsure, but urgent.

Her twin looked up towards her fists and immediately loosened her grip. She cursed as she lifted her hands and willed the skittering frost away, leaving the table slightly damp.

"I'm sorry, it was my fault that-"

"No. Elsa. It wasn't your fault, you know just as much as I that it's hard to control at times." The words were spat out in frustration.

Elsa looked down at her hands and rubbed a thumb against her palm, silently agreeing with her twin. "Yes. But, you got angry because I couldn't-"

She cut her sister off again. "Don't you blame yourself. That guy, that... _pig_ was overstepping boundaries."

The blonde let out a sigh and shrugged. "I don't think he meant it in the way it came out. I don't think we was going to push the question."

"But what if, Elsa? What if he did? What if it got worse? What if he got angry? He already looked pretty sketchy." Aleks' grip tightened, the loosened as she let out a groan and swept her hands through her hair. It was a tick she had whenever she got angry. Gripping the air and running her hands through her hair. _I guess it's better than setting off an eternal winter everywhere and freezing the population._ The dark joke to herself caused Elsa to shake her head. Her thoughts were cut off again as a different man made his way to the table carrying two plates.

"I don't know what you guys did to my dad-" The shorter, portly boy chuckled to himself. "-but it was awesome and I wish I could push him around like that!"

Aleks shot her gaze to the boy and relaxed a bit, relieved it wasn't Pete who was bringing their food to them.

"My name is P.J. I hope you guys enjoy your food, I've never seen dad pay so much attention and try to perfect his burgers before." P.J placed the plates on the table and offered a wave to the sisters. "Alright, I'll catch you guys later! And thanks for scaring my dad!"

Aleks gave a boy a small smile before looking at the burgers in front of them and drooling. "Elsa, you don't even understand how good these things look right now." She picked up the burger in the sesame seed bun and gazed upon it like it was a fine diamond ring. "It's marvelous!" She remarked while she licked her lips.

Elsa couldn't help but smile at the way her sister revered her burger. _You'd think it was her child._ She picked up her own burger and took a bite. Her eyes shot open as she chewed, it really was marvelous. How could a simple burger be this good? The patty was perfectly seasoned, the cheese was smooth and the pickles gave a nice contrast. Grease dripped from her food and hit the plate as her own reaction was reflected on her twin.

"The guy may be a total asshole." Aleks said muffled with a mouth full of food, she swallowed and licked her lips again. "But these burgers are the single greatest thing I've ever stuck in my mouth. We'll definitely be coming here again!"

_She says the same thing about all the food she likes... _Elsa chuckled to herself and took another bite of the burger, savoring it as the flavors danced across her palette. _But she isn't lying. This burger really is amazing._

The sisters finished their food in relative silent and Aleks patted her stomach before giving a content smile. She stood up and noticed P.J completely preoccupied in some hand-held gaming system from behind the counter. "Yo, P.J!" She waved the the boy over as he looked up and made his away around the counter in a bit of a hustle.

"Yeah, what's up?" He said with a smile, looking up at the woman who was almost a full foot taller than him.

"We're ready for the check." She said curtly as she crossed her arms.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I got you guys covered." The boy scratched the back of his head and gave a smile. "It's the least I can do for doing that to my pops."

Aleks felt a genuine smile tug at her lips. If there was anything better than food, it was free food. "You know what?" She started, uncrossing her arms and placing them on her hips. "You're alright, P.J. We'll see you around alright?"

P.J smiled again and started to collect the plates which held nothing more than grease droplets. He stopped when he noticed the girls make their way to the door. He saw Elsa turn around and he gave a small wave to the blonde. Elsa looked around warily before offering her own unsure wave and small smile.

"Come on, slowpoke!" Aleks' voice came from the other side of the door and Elsa made her way out of the door to catch up with her sister.


	3. Anna

**A/N: **I'd like to thank you all for your continued support. After a bout of inspiration and motivation, I got this chapter out a little quicker than I anticipated. It's also about twice as long.

It's set from Anna's point of view, and I think we'll start putting some meat on the bones of this fic in the next few chapters.

Enjoy! And as always, constructive criticism is always welcomed.

* * *

"Thanks, Eugene for the ride!"

Anna closed the car door and offered a wave to the man inside. After nearly six hours of seeing nothing but trees and highway, the campus was a welcome sight to the redhead. She thought she was going to go absolutely crazy in that car and end up bashing her head against the dash. But, her cousin's boyfriend had no problem in driving the long distance at his girlfriend's request.

"Hey, it's no problem. You sure you don't need me to show you around? This is my old stomping grounds after all!" His voice was cheery, obviously glad to be back at the school and wanted to stay as long as possible. Probably to put off driving his way back.

"I think I'm good, there seems to be plenty of signs around to point me in the right direction." Anna responded as she looked around and scratched the back of her head. There really were a lot of signs around, it was a fairly large campus that she would probably end up getting lost in quite often. "But I'll tell Rapunzel you said 'Hi' when she gets here."

At the sound of his girlfriend's name, the man formed a large smile and pointed a finger at Anna. "Hey!" Anna jumped at the unexpected outburst. "Don't forget to add the smolder!" He finished with another large smile before presenting an example of his 'ever-so-famous-smolder'. Anna thought it looked silly and shook her head.

"Didn't she break your smolder a couple years back at that Christmas party?" She retorted with a cocky chuckle. "Pushed you right down the stairs and you landed flat on your face!" The memory turned the small chuckle into a fit of full on laughter.

Eugene's face fell at the embarrassment brought on from the redhead's laughter. "Oh, come on! I thought I broke my beautiful face!" He raised his hands and gently patted his face to enunciate his point. He was always cocky to a certain degree, but he was genuinely a good person and Rapunzel was honestly happy with him.

"Well it's beautiful to Rapunzel and that's all that matters right?" Anna said with a shrug and crossed her arms. "Although your nose is kinda funny looking innit'?" A large grin grew on her face as she witnessed the shock that grew on Eugene's face. _Gotcha!_

"Oh, shut up! You know how I feel about my nose." He replied in a playful tone, knowing Anna was just teasing him like the two always do to one another. "It never comes out right in pictures, I think it just can't handle the beauty." He said with a smug grin. "Besides, at least my face isn't littered with freckles."

_Oh, that was cold._ Anna had always been a little self-conscious about the freckles that were strewn across her face. On the contrary she was actually always complimented about them because of how well they matched her skin tone and generally cheery personality. Anna didn't really know how freckles related to a cheery personality, but she rolled with it anyway.

"Are we just jealous?" Anna retorted smugly.

"No not really."

Anna was a little disappointed at how that ended, and decided to change the subject because she wasn't ready to be left alone in this big place. "So, you said you 'set me up' with arrangements here?" She inquired, all she knew was that Eugene 'had her covered' when she found out that she was at the bottom of the barrel when it came to dorms.

"Oh yeah, I pulled some strings with the higher ups. I got you this sweet dorm that was just put in a couple years ago that I've heard a lot about." He started and adjusted himself in the driver's seat. "I tried to bunk you up with someone you'd be comfortable with, Rapunzel. But she had signed up real early and was already locked into her choice once the dorms filled up like crazy." Eugene gave Anna a sorrowful look when he saw her face drop a little. "I really don't know who you'll have to put up with. But the room is big enough that you probably wouldn't have to see the other person if you didn't want to."

Anna perked up as confusion was painted on her face. "I've always heard college dorm rooms were kinda small?"

"Normally they are. But, you'll see what I mean when you get there. I told you, I set you up." He was hiding something and Anna couldn't put her finger on what he meant. _Okay. So it's bigger than a regular dorm, that's cool I guess._ She adjusted the large duffel bag on her shoulder which practically held her entire life in it.

"I'm actually pretty stoked I even got accepted here. You've heard my grades haven't always been the greatest." She tried changing the subject again, deciding to not dwell on the uncertainty of her room and potential roommate at the moment.

"Oh you'll be fine." Eugene said as he ran a hand through his brown hair and checked his reflection in the rear-view mirror. When he was satisfied with the results he turned back to the redhead. "You'll find some nice boy, and totally ace your classes. Just be sure not to be out partying all night and get into trouble. Trust me-" His face grew a little more serious. "-been there, done that. I'm lucky I had Rapunzel to straighten me out when I came back home one summer."

Anna remembered that summer Rapunzel was freaking out because she met some cute guy who just walked up to their house. Apparently he was only there to check out the house for petty thievery with a couple other guys he had fallen into the wrong crowd with. But the night the job was supposed to happen, Rapunzel caught Eugene on the side of the house and just started to talk to him and eventually he forgot all about what he was doing and instead sneaked Rapunzel out of the house for a late night date at Denny's. The rest was kinda history, they had started dating and Eugene got his life together.

"Oh you know I'm not really the one for partying." Anna gave a nervous chuckle. "And besides, who said it'd be a boy?"

Eugene laughed and shrugged. "Hey, whatever floats your boat. I won't judge."

"Are you trying to imply I'm a lesbian, Eugene Fitzherbert?" Anna scoffed and crossed her arms.

"You kinda did that yourself, didn't you?" He said victoriously as he saw Anna drop her arms and jaw fall open in shock.

_Did I just come out of the closet? Was I even in the closet in the first place? Wait, what?_ Anna shut her jaw and thought to herself. She had dated boys before, sure. Had some really good memories with them too, but did she like girls as well? They certainly do smell nice and have pretty hair. But did she like them like that? _Why am I thinking about this right now?_ She shook her head and put the subject off. "Very funny, Eugene." The reply was neutral and didn't reveal any hidden truth nor deny the accusations from the brunette.

Eugene shrugged it off and checked the clock in his car which read 1:45. "Hey, I'm going to have to get going if I want to make it home in a decent hour." He extended his arm out of the passenger side window and made a fist, indicated he wanted Anna to return the favor. "Shoot me a text when you find out who you're rooming with. Make sure they aren't crazy in the head you know?"

Anna smiled and extended her own arm to give Eugene a fist bump. _Rapunzel left a couple hours after we did, maybe we can catch some dinner. I hope there's a good sandwich shop around here._ The thought was enough to make the girl salivate and already start looking forward to dinner. She still had awhile to wait though, she had insisted on getting here early to get situated but her cousin was running horribly late and insisted that Eugene take Anna and she'll catch up when she can.

"Oh, okay." Anna's face dropped again as she realized she'll be alone in a place she's completely unfamiliar with. She tugged at the collar of her green shirt and stared at the sky through the leaves of the trees around the parking lot. It was pretty hot that day, and the humidity was starting to get with Anna as she felt sweat start to bead on her skin.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine, and you'll have Rapunzel to keep you sane." Eugene tried to reassure her, but it didn't work to well by the look on Anna's face. She tried to give a convincing smile but it didn't fool the man. "I'll catch you on the flip side."

And with that, Eugene set the car to reverse and made his way out of the parking lot. Anna looked around and tried to catch her bearings. All she saw was large red brick buildings around her, signs pointing everywhere, and trees. There were a lot of trees on the campus and although Anna found them pretty and the shade would be a welcome addition, it made her surroundings all blend together.

Although the trees were pretty, they had a way of making Anna feel small and alone. Her eyes fell to the floor and stared at her shoes. She closed her eyes as she felt a breeze make it's was across her skin and her braided copper pigtails flutter in the wind. After a moment of enjoying the cool breeze she realized how hot it really was and lifted her head up, looking for some sense of direction.

_Eugene had told me to find the main building and ask for a 'Mr. Oaken', he would be able to help me find the dorm. That's certainly a funny name, I wonder if he's tall like an oak tree? _Her own joke caused Anna to let a little giggle escape from her lips as she looked around and let out a deep sigh. _Now where's the main building?_ She stepped up to the sidewalk and inspected a sign which had a number of arrows pointing in different directions. She smiled when she saw the words 'main building' with an arrow pointing right in front of her.

Anna looked past the sign to a large red bricked building that was bigger than the ones around it. Stretching her neck to look further up she saw a white dome adorned the top of the building. _Oh. It was right in front of you, Anna. Way to go._ She made her way through the double glass doors and immediately felt relieved when she felt the air conditioning brush against her skin. Looking to her left, an elderly woman with short graying hair sat behind a desk. Warily stepping up to the desk, she cleared her throat.

"Um, e-excuse me?" Her voice came out shaky and weak, and she mentally slapped herself for not having a spine.

The lady looked up from her computer and eyed the redhead down. Now that she was closer, Anna could make out the plethora of wrinkles on the woman's face that made it look like a road map. Her small black horn-rimmed glasses barely staying up on her nose. _How does she get her hair to stick straight up like that? She's like a unicorn...only gross and old._

"Can I help you?" The raspy voice caught Anna's attention as she saw the woman's gaze bore into her. Anna cleared her throat again before speaking with considerably more confidence.

"Yes, I was told to talk to a 'Mr. Oaken'?" Anna brought her hands up to her chest as the older woman picked up a telephone and requested Mr. Oaken to the front desk.

"He'll be with you in just a moment." She then waved the redhead off.

"Thank you, Mrs..."

"Roz."

"Mrs. R...Roz? Than- Thank you." Anna managed to get out as she thought about how strange that name was.

Anna took a seat on one of the chairs opposite of the desk and swung her feet absentmindedly as she absorbed her surroundings. There was a nice red carpet that covered the large floor, and large windows behind her that illuminated the entire room in a vibrant glow. The room split into two separate hallways on the back end and stretching her neck, Anna noticed that they went on almost endlessly.

Feeling a buzzing in her pocket, she reached into her jeans and swiped the screen to see a message from Rapunzel. 'Stopped at a fast food place for a late lunch. I think I'll be there by 4ish. Eugene get you there safely?' Anna smiled as she imagined her cousin being there so she wasn't so alone. 'Yup, I'll see you then.' She typed out and hit send before sticking her phone back in her pocket.

It wasn't long before a large man made his way around a corner and stood in front of Anna. He wore black slacks and what appeared to be a large, wool, striped sweater. _He's really tall! Is this Mr-_

"Ms. Aren, I assume ya?" His voice did not match his size, and he spoke with a heavy accent that was some brand of European Anna decided.

The redhead stood and extended an arm to shake the large man's hand. "Y-yes, that's uh- that's me." She stuttered as the large man smiled. His cheeks were strangely rosy, and he sported a dull blonde handlebar mustache that connected to a large pair of sideburns. _Is that a toboggan on his head? In the middle of summer?!_

Mr. Oaken took her frail hand in both of his large ones and shook vigorously. "It's very nice to meet you, your friend Eugene has spoken very well of you!" He offered another smile and shook his head contently. "Good, very good!"

Anna collected herself and pushed a red lock behind her ear that had fallen out during the large man's violent handshake and gave a nervous chuckle. "Oh wow, that was- uhm wow, okay you're like rea-really strong and I totally did not expect that." _Way to sound confident, Anna._

"Got to have the muscles to make a good lutefisk, ya Ms. Aren?" His cheery smile was contagious and before long Anna found herself reflecting it. "Now, what is it you wanted to see me for?"

"Oh! Eugene told me you can help me find my dorm?" Anna realized how dumb that sounded and straightened up. "I mean it's my first time here and you think I'd be here earlier to get a good grip on the layout of the campus but sometimes I don't really think ahead and other times I think too much ahead and end up worrying about everything but this time I didn't really think about it but I didn't think the campus would be so large and there's signs literally everywhere and I just..." Anna took a deep breath and saw the blank look of contentment on the large man's face. "...I'm rambling and I apologize." She finished and accepted defeat.

"It's very good, Ms. Aren. If you'll follow me, I can take you to your dorm ya? When I heard you were a friend of Eugene's I made an exception and put you in the best we have to offer!" He said as he made his way to the double doors that led outside.

_Oh cool, let everyone supply things for you. Can't really do anything for yourself, can you Anna? _The redhead let out a sigh before catching up to Mr. Oaken. The moment she stepped outside it was like getting slapped in the face from the heat and humidity. She followed the giant on the sidewalk through what felt like a forest from the abundance of trees around them. "There certainly are a lot of trees around here." She commented absentmindedly as another breeze made it's way across her body, feeling relieved from the heat for a moment.

"Ah yes, we're very Eco-friendly ya? I also think it adds a soothing feeling to the campus. Don't you, Ms. Aren?" Anna couldn't see it, but she knew he was smiling as she stared at his large back covered by that large striped sweater.

"They certainly are pretty." She shrugged and pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time. _1:56, looks like I'll have a couple hours to explore everything before Rapunzel gets here. I should totally check out the dining hall. I wonder what kind of food they serve. Do all colleges serve the same food? I mean high school normally had a lunch schedule for the month. Do colleges to that too? Ugh, I really should have done some research about all this. I'm totally clueless and- _Her thoughts were cut off when she crashed into Mr. Oakens back, the fuzz from the sweater felt thick and scratchy and must have been torture to wear in this weather. With an audible 'oof', Anna backed up and regained her composure.

"This is the building, Ms. Aren. It was just added a couple years ago and is our newest addition!" The voice was filled with a bubbly glee that was spoken with pride like a kid who had just one first prize in a science fair. Anna looked around and did her best to memorize the location, but when she turned around she saw the main building right in front of her and all they did was round the parking lot. _...Oh._

She followed the large man as he went through the double doors. The building had the same red carpet the main building did, on the left she noticed a staircase with an elevator beside it. To the right were several vending machines which held different drinks, snacks, and candies. _Score! _Following Mr. Oaken, she saw a doorway beside a vending machine which appeared to hold washing and drying machines. Almost tripping over a large leather couch in the middle of the room she noticed a coffee table in front of it surrounded by other small chairs similar to the couch. _Future living room goals right here, I'd totally love a room set up like this lounge. Vending machines included! _Eventually finding their way to the elevator, she felt extremely crowded in the small box next to the giant in a sweater.

"Your room is on the 5th floor, Ms. Aren. Top floor, very nice ya?" He said as he pressed the button on the panel and the doors closed and began it's ascent. "I hope you have your key card on you, Ms. Aren. You'll need it to get into the dorm. Security is important to us here at the university."

"Key card?" Anna panicked and began frantically checking her pockets. _Great, Anna. Way to go. A+ performance._

"Yes, we mailed it to you and it doubles as your student I.D"

"Oh!" She practically shrieked in glee as she pulled out the small card from her back pocket. "I was wondering why it looked kinda funny with the bar code and everything on the back of it." She tried to play it off as she flipped it over and stared at the aforementioned bar code. She also noticed the numbers '514' on the corner. _Oh._ The elevator then let out a ding that indicated they had reached their destination. Anna poked her head out of the metal box and into the long hallway that had a considerable distance to both the left and the right. She followed Mr. Oaken until he turned to the right and smiled contently.

"Here we are, Ms. Aren. Room 514." He nodded and gave a slight pause before continuing. "These dorms are normally reserved for upperclassmen, post-grads, and honors students." Anna's demeanor fell as she realized she was not any of those, and definitely not that last one. Mr. Oaken saw this and placed a large hand on her shoulder. "But since everything else was filled and Eugene talked to me about it, we decided it would be alright to make a special case!" He said with another smile as his face glowed with glee.

_Again, can't do anything for yourself. Gotta have everyone else bail you out of trouble... _Anna faked a smile as she inserted the key card into the slot in the door handle and saw a green light flicker as a click indicated the door was unlocked. She opened the door into her home for the next few months and her jaw dropped. The room was absolutely huge for a dorm. She stood in an already fully furnished living room. Black leather couch similar to the one downstairs sat in front a wooden coffee table adjacent to the table was a recliner like the couch. An entertainment center with a large television sat on the wall on the right side. To the left she noticed a modest dining room, table set with two chairs on either side. A small kitchen sat on the other side of the dining room separated by a bar. A hall with doors on either side was past that.

"There's no way this is a dorm-" Anna started, at a complete utter loss of words. "-I've always heard dorms were small and crowded and that people don't even have their own bathroom!" She stated still in shock as she made her way across the hardwood floor and into the kitchen after dropping her duffel bag on the couch. It was small and modest like the dining room, sporting a fridge, microwave, sink, oven, and dish washer. But the fact that it even had all of that completely surprised Anna.

Oaken gave a hearty chuckle at the sight of Anna freaking out over practically everything. "Yes, dear. We use the term 'dorm' for theses rooms fairly loosely." He grinned again when Anna discovered the fridge came with an ice maker in the freezer. "We're the only campus in the state to hold these mini apartment rooms. They come with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen and a living room. Very modern and convenient, ya?"

Anna calmed herself down for a moment as she noticed a cardboard box placed on the bar that separated the kitchen from the dining room. On it was a note that read: 'Hey, Anna. Here's a couple gifts from Rapunzel that she wanted me to send to you. Signed, Eugene Fitzherbert. Also, you'll find a box cutter to get into this box in the smaller box.' _Oh great, but how do I get into the smaller box?!_ She let out a sigh of frustration as she picked up the smaller box which was beside the larger one. On it she found another note which held no words and just a crude drawing of a troll face. _Damn it, Eugene! Who even let you on the internet in the first place?!_ She sighed again before finding herself smiling at the whole thing. It was kind of funny, despite being at her expense.

"Well, Ms. Aren. I'll leave you to get settled here. Classes begin in just a couple days so don't be late, ya?" Mr. Oaken said cheerily as he offered a small wave to the redhead.

"Gotcha! Thank you, Mr. Oaken!" Offering a wave of her own, she saw the giant leave and fell to her knees on the floor. Once she heard the click of the door she let out a sigh and picked at the tape on the small box. _I love Rapunzel, but her boyfriend can be a real jerk face at times._ Eventually just decided to shove her thumbnail into the tape covering the flaps of the box. With a satisfying pop, she gleamed as she gained access. Inside was as the previous note said, nothing but a small yellow box cutter. She stuffed it in her pocket and went to stand up as she heard the door click. Deciding to keep down, she ducked under the bar.

"Doesn't seem like anyone is here yet." Came a feminine voice, Anna tensed a but as she heard footsteps creep into the room. "And it's huge for a dorm, I mean it even comes with a t.v!"

"Maybe being late for something actually worked out for the best this time." The second voice sounded much softer, although weak and unsure. _She sounds like a lost little puppy, aw._ "Aleks, I'm not sure if I'm ready for all this though." _So her name is Aleks, huh? I knew a guy with the same name back in high school, he was pretty cool I guess-_

"I know, Elsa. But this will be good in the long run. Just you see!" _Elsa, huh? That's a pretty name._

Then the bar creaked a bit when Aleks propped herself up against it. "And besides, this place is pretty freakin' sweet."

_Well, guess I better introduce myself. _At that moment Anna popped up from under the bar with an enthusiastic tone in her voice. "Hi!"

"Shit!" And was met with an equally enthusiastic fist to her face, a la Aleks.


	4. First Impressions

**A/N: **I haven't really been keeping a good job of keeping in my approximate schedule of an update every 6-12 days, have I?

I'm not sure if I should put in a definite trigger warning for this chapter. It scrapes the issue, but doesn't really get involved?

If you're real sensitive to anything dealing with self harm, I'd be careful with reading this chapter.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Anna ended up falling on her rear with a loud thud and started to rub her face. It was numb now, but it'll start hurting soon and it will definitely swell. Her nose seemed to have taken the brunt of the blow, and she could feel a liquid running out of it. Rubbing under her nose it was clear that it was a deep red shade of blood. "Well, if that's how to say hello to people I'd hate to say goodbye!" The redhead tried to sound cheerful and make light of the situation.

"What the hell were you doing behind there?" Aleks sounded irritated when she came around and stared at the pitiful sight of the redhead on the floor, she almost wanted to laugh. "You look stupid like that. Get up." The command came as she leaned on the bar again and placed a hand on her hip.

Being careful not to get any blood on the hardwood floor, Anna slowly made her way to her feet before stumbling a little to catch her balance. The world was still spinning and everything only started to slow down after she caught on to the judgmental stare from the woman standing in front of her. She felt small in her presence, she imagined this is what it felt like to be a small dog with a hawk looming overhead. It was like she commanded obedience and fear just by her demeanor. She did a very good job at it too, Anna thought. She opened her mouth to greet her properly, but only succeeded in looking stupid when she couldn't find the words.

"Are you always this spineless or did I catch you at a bad time?" Aleks chuckled at her own comment. "If you'd like, I can come back a later time and sock you in the face again." She gave a smug half grin and shook her head, clearly not impressed at what she saw.

Anna took a step back and rubbed more blood from under her nose. "N-no no, no that's fine I think one time was e-enough." She stuttered as she gave a nervous chuckle. "It was my fault, I guess. I shouldn't have been hiding when you guys came in."

"Yeah, you're right. That was just plain dumb." There was a triumphant tone in her voice when she noticed the redhead slump a little in plain defeat.

"My name is Anna, by the way. Anna Aren." She tried to perk up as she extended her arm to shake the other girl's hand. Aleks scoffed as she gave her a belittling look. It was then Anna realized she had extended her bloodied hand and quickly retracted it before extending the other arm. Aleks rolled her eyes but played along anyway, giving a brief handshake that seemed to satisfy the redhead.

"Aleks. Aleks Delle. Do yourself a favor, honey, and don't get on my bad side. And while you're at it, work on growing a spine. It'll do you some good."

_She has a good side? I'd love to meet it one day. _"U-uhm yeah, y-yeah okay I'll get right on that." Anna rubbed under her nose again to find that it had stopped bleeding, she then made her way to the sink to wash the drying blood off. "I take it you're my roommate then, Aleks?"

"You're not that lucky. Your roommate is my sister, Elsa." She nodded in the direction of the table where Elsa had seated herself, hands crossed in her lap and looking at the two warily. Anna finished washing her hands and shot a glance towards the blonde. _I have a feeling I'll be getting along with her much better than her sister._

"Oh, well alright. So is Aleks short for something?" She asked with genuine curiosity as Aleks rolled her eyes again.

"Aleksandra. I'm twenty one years old. My favorite color is yellow. And I hate excessive questions. Got it?"

Anna swallowed the lump in her throat and stood a little straighter to try and grow that spine she seemed to be lacking. "Y-yes ma'am." She locked eyes with the blonde who sat across the room, and offered a small wave but returned her attention to Aleks when Elsa looked away without returning the wave.

Aleks brought herself uncomfortably close to Anna to the point where you could barely fit a hair between them. Her voice brought low to a whisper. "Here's the deal, carrot top." She began and gave a chuckle that brought chills down Anna's spine as she grew stiff. "You hurt my sister. I hurt you." Aleks backed away and gave a half grin that sent another wave of chills through the redhead's body. She shook the feeling and stood up straight, trying to grow the aforementioned spine and nodded her head curtly.

The red took a painfully deep breath and took a couple steps back, bumping into the counter as she exhaled. "I-I don't p-plan on it, Aleks I actually c-c-onsider myself to be a pretty nice person I guess-" The unimpressed stare from the other girl shook Anna to the core. "-I mean I t-totally am, I mean we could play like board games or watch some television. I like old time classy movies but I'll even let her choose the m-movie because I'd totally be cool with whatever. And I'll take responsibility for cleaning the dorms in case cleaning isn't her thing, but she totally seems like a clean person but you know looks aren't everything and sometimes-"

She was cut off when Anna slammed her hand on the counter, causing a loud smack to echo through the room and Elsa to perk up. "Do you ever shut up, or am I going to have to carry around a roll of duct tape around with me to shut your mouth?" Aleks sounded almost comical, but Anna knew she was completely serious about the duct tape. _Just shut up, Anna! Shutupshutupshutupshutupshutup! If there is anything you do in your life worth while, shut up!_

Her eyes fell to the floor as Anna gave another weak nod, fighting back tears and the lump in her throat.

She stood there for a good while in awkward silence while she felt the stare from the woman in front of her._ Why am I here? Why didn't I just stay home. This was a mistake. _Anna patted her pockets and felt the box cutter still in her pants. The corners of her eyes started to sting as she continued to assault herself for hoping college life would be different from that she left behind. The pressure from behind her eyes reached it's maximum capacity and her eyelids filled with fresh tears. She tried to compose herself and drug her feet towards the couch, trying to get away from it all. She was stopped short when she bumped into Aleks' outstretched arm, who glanced in her direction.

"Let it be known that I do not like you. You're impulsive and a complete fool." Anna felt more tears collect in her eyelids, threatening to fall. "But, I have no say in the matter of the dorm arrangements. Don't do anything to make me dislike you anymore than I already do." She sounded bored. Bored and completely nonchalant as she stood there and continued to stick little pins in Anna's heart. The redhead locked her own blue-green eyes with Aleks' piercing blues, and the tears finally began to fall under the hateful stare.

"You're weak too." Aleks chuckled at her own comment at the sight of Anna's resolve shattering. The redhead sniffled, failing to hold back the tears as they collected and trailed down her face. She dashed towards the couch and picked up her duffel bag, covering her face in the crook of her elbow as she made her way down the hallway and into a bedroom. The click of a lock proved that Aleks' had won.

"You didn't have to go that far." The comment from Elsa broke the still air. She stood up from the table and rested her elbows on the bar, now standing on the other side of it from her twin. "The punch in the face was enough to prove your point."

"Elsa, you're going to be stuck with her for the rest of the school year. I needed to set things straight with her as soon as possible. I-" Aleks dropped her head and clenched her fists, gritting her teeth she forced the rest of the words out. "-don't want her to hurt you."

The blonde knew that, she knew why her sister was the way she is towards other people. She had a reputation as an aggressive troublemaker throughout most of middle school and all of high school. Elsa crossed her arms on the bar and stared at her twin who now had her head in her hands. _I know what she's going through and it's my fault. Everything is. All of this._ She sighed and wondered to herself why she didn't step in while her sister was bullying the poor girl. It wasn't the first time something similar to that happened, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. _Because you're a weak person. You couldn't have stopped it._ Her palms began to feel clammy as she recalled more distasteful memories of her twin sticking up for her. It was natural for her to do so, she never had to call for Aleks. She always just appeared out of the thin air at times, even if they were in separate classes. Aleks always knew, always had an eye out for Elsa. "I know, Aleks. But-" She muttered, trying to find the words that would both soothe Aleks and build herself up.

"But what, Elsa?" She strained, relaxing the strain on her face and desperately looked towards her twin.

"-but, I'm not totally defenseless... I, I can-" With a flick of the blonde's wrist, a flurry of snow condensed around her hand and settled in a lazy rotation around her delicate fingers. "-if worst comes to worst, I can try to-"

"That didn't help last time, Elsa! That didn't help all those years ago!" Aleks' sudden burst of anger shocked Elsa as the snow dissipated and she took a step backwards. Her eyes widened in a combination of shock and despair as her twin began to sob and cradle her head in her hands. In between sobs, she managed to find her voice. "I know you aren't totally defenseless, Elsa." She started and gritted her teeth to hold back another sob. Clenching her fists and slamming them onto the bar, jagged ice shot from them and surrounded her hands. "But I'll be damned if you have to suffer through anything alone. I promise you that."

"I know. And I love you for all you do for me, I'm not ready to be alone. I'm scared. I'm-" The lump in her throat halted her attempts at continuing the sentence. She took a deep breath, enjoying the crisp air that was a result from the increased amount of frozen water in the room. "-weak, Aleks. But I think you made a pretty sizable impression on my new roommate." She tried lightening the mood with a soft chuckle, and Aleks' gave a slight grin before raising her face to meet her twins and willing the ice to disappear.

"If she bothers you, let me know."

Elsa extended her arm and placed a reassuring hand on Aleks' shoulder. _Sometimes I forget that I'm not the only one who needs a little reassurance from time to time. _"I will." She checked the time on the oven stove, which read 3:15. "Let's go grab an early dinner, after that drive I feel like we'll both appreciate going to bed a little early tonight."

Aleks could only give a weak smile as she wiped her eyes and made her way to the door.

* * *

Anna sat at the edge of the bare bed in the center of the room. The bedroom had hardwood flooring like most of the house, but the bed didn't come with any sheets or pillows. A small closet sat on one side of the room, and a full-body mirror sat on the other side. A nightstand sat on one side of the bed, however it could probably only fit a small lamp and not much else. The only light in the room came from the window behind the bed.

The redhead rubbed at her puffy eyes, still thinking about the confrontation from barely an hour ago with Aleks. _She was right._ New tears clouded her vision, making her surroundings all look like one big blur. _I am impulsive. I am a fool. I am... _The corners of her aquamarine eyes were sore from the seemingly never ending physical manifestation of her sorrows. She clenched her fists in her lap and gritted her teeth, shutting her eyes tightly she failed at keeping her tears back. _...weak._ A whimper escaped her shut lips and she sniffled. _It's who you are. It's always been who you are. _Her face fell into shaking hands as she tried to wipe away the tears only to have more form and fall as quickly as she could wipe them away. Her fingers slid their way into her hair as she gripped at her scalp and caused a few stray locks to free themselves from her twin braids and frizz. _You can't change that, Anna! Why are you this way? Can't do anything for yourself, all you can do is royally fuck things up! _A hand fell from her hair and covered her mouth, the other reached for her pocket. _Disappointment. That's what you are. First to your teachers, then to your parents, even some of your closest friends. _She pulled the box cutter from the pocket of her jeans and stared at it through a blurry haze. The plastic was warm to her touch from being in her pocket for so long but the metal was still slightly cool. _Even to people you just met, you're a failure in their eyes. Never meeting expectations. _She pushed on the slider and the blade extended, catching the sunlight and casting a glare into her sore eyes. _What's the point in it all? _Her entire chest felt constricted, as if a giant boa had wrapped itself around her and threatened to swallow her whole. There was nothing she could do to stop it, either. She was tired, her entire body felt sore as if she was desperately trying to pry the monstrous snake off of her. _Why am I even here? Back home, at least people expected me to disappoint. Why did I think coming to a new place would change any of that?_ She continued to stare at the box cutter, twirling it around her fingers. _Anna the burden. Anna the forgetful. Anna the annoying. Anna the let down. _

Suddenly her other pocket vibrated. Anna retracted the blade and set it down beside her, choosing instead to focus on the text message from Rapunzel. 'Hey, I'm about five minutes from the campus. Meet me in front of the main building and let's get some dinner? I'm getting some gas right now, so you have a little bit to get ready.' Anna sighed and typed out a reply, vision still in a blur. 'Yeah, sounds good.' She added a smiley emoticon to the end of the text. She stood up and shuffled her way to the full-body mirror and grimaced at the sight. She looked like a complete mess, but that was to be expected. Her hair was strewn about in every which direction, barely resembling braided pigtails. Her face was much more red than normal and had a slight sheen to it, but her eyes probably looked the worst. Red from all the tears, and puffy from all the endless rubbing that failed to stop them. Like she had guessed earlier, her nose was slightly swollen from the unfortunate meeting it had with a fist from a very aggressive woman. She softly closed her eyelids as they continued to sting from the excessive crying as she started to undo her braids. The redhead loved the feeling of fingers in her hair, whether they were her own or someone else's. The gentle tugging at her scalp from having hands in her copper strands offered a strange kind of comfort to her. As the second braid was undone, her hair fell over her shoulders and reached about halfway down her spine. Her eyes caught the white strand that stuck out from the rest of her hair, it was something she was born with and like her freckles it was always a magnet for compliments. But unlike her freckles, Anna genuinely liked it, it was something that set her apart and made her unique. Her phone buzzed again and she reached into her pocket to pull it out.

'I was closer than I thought. You ready?' Rapunzel again.

'Be out in five.'_  
_

Anna walked over to where her duffel bag laid on the floor and pulled out a hairbrush. After a quick brushing with minimal knots she hurriedly put her hair back in the twin braids. Making her way to the bathroom, she splashed water in her face to try and make it a little less red. The cold water was a shock at first, but eventually turned to a welcome contrast against the heat of her face. After she deemed herself presentable, she left the apartment and stepped into the elevator to be greeted by a woman in a light brown dress.

"Hello." Her voice was calm and collected, but equally inviting. Anna looked beside her and marveled at how tan the woman beside her was. Her skin reminded the redhead of fine, polished oak. Flawless and radiant with almost no imperfections. It was then when Anna noticed her dress which had a very tribal look to it and fit her form beautifully. The dress was low cut and rested just above the girl's cleavage, and only had one large strap on one shoulder and was sleeveless. It went down to her ankles, but the ends were cut into little tassels and were adorned with blue beads. She wore a simple brown band across her upper arm, and a blue leather strap with a white stone hanging off of it laid across her neck.

"Oh, um, hello." Anna muttered as she ogled at the other girl's long black hair which descended all the way down her back in perfect straight strands.

"Going down?"

Anna shook her head and snapped back to reality. "Yes, first floor please."

The girl chucked a little before pressing the button on the elevator as the doors closed and shut the two in the small box.

"My name is Pocahontas, by the way. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around campus." She extended her arm to shake Anna's hand.

"Anna." She smiled as she shook Pocahontas' hand, and received a similar smile in reply. The elevator then gave a brief ding, indicating they had reached their destination. "Well, Pocahontas, I'm sure we'll end up bumping into each other again eventually." Anna waved goodbye as she left the elevator.

Pocahontas gave a small nod. "Until then."

The wall of humidity assaulted Anna when she exited the double doors into the parking lot in front of the main building. The sun had began to set slightly and it felt slightly cooler but it was still way too warm for Anna's taste. She scanned the parking lot and found her cousin leaned up against her silver car. The short haired brunette gave an enthusiastic wave as she walked up to the redhead and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

"There's my Anna-banana!" The tone in her voice was cheery enough to put a smile on Anna's face. Rapunzel backed up and held the redhead at arms length before looking her over. A quizzical look formed on her face as she noticed that her eyes were still a little red and her nose a little swollen.

Anna knew that look, it was the look she made when she was about to ask a million questions. She opened her mouth to offer an explanation, but was cut off when her cousin placed her hand over her mouth.

"Tell me later. I'm starving" She said with a warm smile, it was enough of a comfort for Anna that she let her shoulders drop and gave a smile of her own. "I saw this Italian place on the side of the road that looked absolutely delicious that I'm just _dying_ to try!"

Not one to turn down food, Anna gave a quick nod and the two made their way back to Rapunzel's car.


	5. Realizations

**A/N:** So it seems that Aleks fell from grace in the last chapter. As much as some people may dislike her now, she still has her role to play. She isn't the enemy, even if she seems like one. But we'll start to see her fade into the background for a little bit in the next few chapters I think.

This chapter isn't real exciting, but it's pretty important. Especially for Elsa.

Next chapter will focus solely on Elsa and Anna, I promise. I think some light fluff is overdue.

Also, I know that 41 follows and 15 favorites isn't a whole lot. But considering how relatively small the Frozen fandom is, and how even smaller the Elsanna fandom is in relation, I'm pretty proud of that. Tbh, it's 41 more follows and 15 more favorites than I expected. You guys rock!

Constructive criticism is always welcomed. It's your guys' comments that give me most of my motivation to write this!

So without further adieu, chapter 5!

* * *

"So, explain the whole 'redder than normal face and puffy eyes' thing why don't you?" Rapunzel said between bites of her chicken alfredo. After around fifteen minutes of driving around hopelessly lost, the duo finally found the Italian place Rapunzel had saw. The redhead sat across from her cousin in the back of the dimly lit restaurant and spent most of her time looking down at her food. She had hardly touched it and was knocking around a meatball that had fallen from her meatball sub leaving a trail of marinara sauce on the plate. The clack of a fork on the plate echoed throughout the establishment, and Anna sighed.

"Roommate has a hell of a sister." She muttered, eyes never leaving the meatball she was still toying with. The memory of being verbally and emotionally assaulted by Aleks was still fresh in her mind and heart and although she tried to forget about it and enjoy spending time with her cousin, the distasteful memory still lingered. The cheery demeanor of Rapunzel did help however as Anna didn't feel the same tightness in her chest as before. She couldn't help but feel better around the short haired brunette, she had some strange aura around her that seemed to brighten the mood of everyone around her. At times it seemed like the literally glowed due to the disposition of not only herself, but those she affected. Anna still felt sore however.

"Tell me about it." Rapunzel placed her fork down and took a sip from the glass beside her plate before shifting her green eyes to Anna's turquoise who had perked up at her inquiry. "You know I'm here for you, Anna-banana."

The sentiment immediately brought a warm smile to the redheads face as she placed her elbows on the table and placed her chin on her interlocked fingers. "Well, I was reading the package that Eugene had sent on your behalf at the time whe-"

"Did you open the package? Did you like it?" Rapunzel was giddy with glee as she jumped in her seat with a wide smile.

"No, I was about to when I heard the doorknob to the dorm open. I didn't know who it was so I kinda hid under the counter in the kitchen." She continued and started to absentmindedly play with one of her twin braids. It was a tick of hers and she always seemed to resort to it whenever in stressful or uncomfortable situations. Rapunzel stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork and shoved it in her mouth, scraping the metal as she pulled it out. The sound was like metal on a chalkboard to Anna and it sent a chill down her spine.

"I heard two girls talking, one of them sounded kind of-" Anna searched for the word that would perfectly describe the tone of Aleks' voice. It definitely wasn't warm or inviting in the slightest, quite the opposite in fact. "-cold. That's the best way I can describe it I guess." She nodded to herself and noticed the curiosity on her cousin's face. It was a wonder her face didn't stick like that how often she made it. Rapunzel has always been curious about absolutely everything and never turned down the opportunity to learn or experience something new. Which was probably why her and Eugene got along so well, her genuine curiosity for the world perfectly reflected how outgoing he was. "Anyway, I heard another voice. And this time it was quiet and nervous but it was really pretty actually. She probably has a wonderful singing voice now that I really think about it." Although it wasn't very likely she'd find out judging how stone cold the other girl had become after she had popped out from under the counter. It was like she just faded into the background and became invisible. The only thing that made her presence noticeable is when she would shift in her seat.

Anna shook her head and stopped herself from veering off topic. "Anyway, when I heard the first girl lean up against the counter I figured it would be a good time to introduce myself before I seem like a total creep from awkwardly hanging out under the counter the entire time." She then gently rubbed her nose and grimaced slightly when she realized how tender it still was. "I guess I shocked her and then she socked me right in the nose." She shrugged and noted the discontentment on her cousin's face across from her. It was clear she wasn't satisfied with just that.

"...and?" Rapunzel raised an eyebrow at the redhead. "I've seen you in gym class and softball, Anna. I know you can take a hit." Which was true, if nothing else, Anna prided herself in her ability to get back up after being knocked down. It was something she was pretty good at after being knocked down as much as she was.

"It's just... the conversation that followed wasn't very pleasant." She turned her head and gazed at the brick floor beside her trying to hold back more tears figuring she had cried enough today. It was the very first day of a new chapter of her life and it started on a bad page. Even though she was looking away she could still feel green eyes burning a hole in her face.

"Sitting over there and simmering about it isn't going to help anything."

"Can we just say that she plucked at the heartstrings a little too hard?" Anna managed to get out with a little bit of hope when she raised her head back up and tore off a small piece of her bread to shove in her mouth. "It's okay, Rapunzel. I can handle it." _That's totally a lie._ The brunette across from her seemed to have read her mind from the look of discontent painted on her face. "I've made it this far, haven't I?" _Barely._

"I worry about you, Anna." She extended her arm and placed her hand over Anna's, which was abnormally cool despite the warmth of both the weather outside and the warmth of the restaurant. "Even when you came over outside of school, you always looked stressed out about something." Which was also true. If it wasn't her grades, homework, a boyfriend at the time, or an extra-curricular activity, it was something else causing her stress.

"Did I?" She asked with genuine curiosity. "We always had so much fun whenever we hung out though." It wasn't often that they were able to, however. If her grades weren't up to a certain standard she wouldn't be let out of the house until they met said standard. Anna's parents have always had those high expectations and accepted nothing less. If they wanted a glass of water, Anna should have came back with a pitcher full. If they asked her to weed the garden, Anna should have mowed the lawn as well. If they told Anna to pick up groceries, she better be prepared to cook them too. They always claimed it was to prepare her for the future where mistakes aren't accepted and the more she accomplishes, the further she'll go.

The brunette nodded. "Even on the holidays."

Anna shoved another chunk of bread in her mouth. "Well, I'm okay Rapunzel."

She retracted her arm to take another sip from her drink. "Can't say I believe you, Anna. Would it help if I talked to whomever it is giving you trouble?"

Anna imagined how that conversation would work out. Sure, Rapunzel was stubborn as a mule and was certainly convincing about most things. She did manage to stop Eugene and his former friends from robbing her and instead got him to take her out on a date after all. But in this case, Anna didn't think any degree of stubbornness or how convincing she was would help. The way that girl backed Anna into a corner and made her buckle was something the redhead wasn't used to. At least not physically, and especially not in front of other people like that. She was normally able to keep her cool and stay level headed on the outside regardless of how she felt. Rapunzel however, was a being of seemingly endless emotion. Everything she did was filled with emotion from the moment she woke up to the moment she went to bed. She showed it, too. Whatever Aleks did to Anna, she would probably do tenfold to Rapunzel.

Anna scrambled to get the words out of her mouth fast enough. "Nononono, noooo nononono... no." She didn't realize how loud she frantically let the words spill until patrons from the other side of the restaurant were staring at her. She nervously gave a small chuckle and shrugged it off. "N-no thank you, I mean."

Rapunzel shifted in her seat and adjusted her posture so that she sat a little bit taller. "Are you sure, Anna? I mean it wouldn't take long at all and I'm sure I could get her to back off."

Anna almost considered it for a moment before remembering how defenseless she felt in her presence. She didn't want her cousin going through that.

"Yeah, I'm sure." She smiled, hoping her mask would get Rapunzel to forget the idea.

With a sigh, Rapunzel decided to drop that subject but was still curious. "So-" She started with a shrug. "-how about the other girl you mentioned?"

The question blindsided Anna and she placed her hands on either side of her face. She really hadn't even noticed the other girl. She had long blonde hair that appeared to be kept in a large, single braid. After Anna made herself known, she just completely stopped talking and the redhead thought that was kind of strange. She didn't introduce herself, say hi, or anything. Anna didn't even get a good look at her.

"I can't really tell you anything about her." She muttered, partly out of fear that Aleks was waiting around the corner just waiting for her to say something bad about the blonde and punch her in the face again.

Rapunzel shot back and seemed slightly disappointed at the answer, her curiosity unfulfilled. "Nothing at all? About either one of them?"

Anna shrugged again. "Nothing that's really interesting." A half smile tugged at her lips as a way of saying sorry. "Like I said, I bet the blonde sings very well."

Rapunzel smiled and rolled her eyes. "Well I guess that's something." She finished the last bite of her chicken alfredo and pushed the plate away from her. "While we're out, is there anything you'd like to do? It's still kinda early."

Anna sat there and thought about it. All of her necessities were in the duffel bag. Clothes, toiletries, and a handful of assorted candies and chocolates. Pretty much all she needed to sustain life. Her mind drifted back to the bedroom and how empty it was. The window without curtains would certainly allow her eyes to be ruthlessly battered by the sun in the morning, if she could even manage to fall asleep without sheets, blankets, or even a pillow.

"Oh yeah, if you don't mind taking me to pick up some stuff for the bedroom?" It took Anna a moment to process what she just said as Rapunzel looked at her with a strained face trying not to let out a giggling fit. Her face grew redder than the sauce on her meatball sub when she realized what she just said. It definitely sounded better in her mind.

"Oh, nononono! Not like that!" She started, noting the increased restraint on the brunette's face. "I mean I don't need any of _that _kind of stuff, because that's totally taken care of!" Rapunzel raised an eyebrow. "I have two hands and they normally serve me pretty well so it's not like I need anything else for that kinda stuff but even if I did I wouldn't need someone to help me shop for that stuff." Her cousin's resolve fell as her loud laughter echoed through the restaurant and attracted the eyes of everyone around them. As she listened to the high pitch laughter, she dropped her head in her hands and was positive she couldn't be more embarrassed. _Way to ramble, Anna. You just told your cousin you wouldn't go dildo shopping with her cause your fingers serve you just fine. _She shook her head and a low chuckle left her lips. It was kind of funny, actually. When Rapunzel finally calmed down and wiped a tear from her eye, Anna smiled and rolled her eyes.

"I meant pillows, blankets, sheets, and that kind of stuff."

"I know, but it was great." Rapunzel replied in between lingering giggles.

* * *

"Aleks." Elsa's tone was stern, uncharacteristically so considering how quiet and timid she normally was. It was totally new for the blonde, she was not used to asserting herself in any kind of situation. She was most comfortable in the background of most situations, blending in to not draw any unwanted attention to her. But this time was different, she suddenly felt empowered and couldn't pass up the opportunity to have her opinion heard even if it was only to her sister whom was the only one she was comfortable talking to for extended periods of time.

Aleks raised her eyes from the steak she couldn't get in her mouth quick enough. She slowed her chewing and placed her utensils on her plate. Swallowing her bite, she noticed the determined look on her sisters face. Picking up a napkin and wiping her mouth, she looked at Elsa with widened eyes. "Yeah, what's up?"

Elsa cleared her throat and straightened in her seat. This was really something she was not used to doing. She played with her hands under the table, rubbing her palm with her thumb to try and distract herself from the nervous lump growing in her throat. "I-I think you went just a little too far back at the school." She tried to sound as calm as she could, but she couldn't prevent the nervous undertone.

Aleks raised an eyebrow at the sudden boldness of her twin. This was abnormal even to Aleks who has spent more time with Elsa than anyone else. "How was it any different than any-"

"You've never made anyone cry like that." Cutting off her sister, or anyone for that matter was extremely bold and even a little cocky for Elsa. She took a deep breath and noted the shock plastered all over the woman's face who sat across from her. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful for all you've done for me." She hoped the added sentiment would alleviate some of the shock, and maybe a little hurt from her twin's face.

"You know why I do what I do, Elsa." She replied, equal parts hurt and shock just as Elsa guessed. "You think I like doing what I do and looking like a total bitch to everyone around me?!" She placed slender fingers on her collar bone to explain her point better. "For us?" She placed a hand on Elsa's shoulder to even further prove her point.

Elsa suddenly felt a surge of guilt flow through her body. It was true that Aleks had a reputation as a 'total bitch' as she put it to everyone who had either seen her stand up for her or heard of such instances. It essentially made them both outcasts, people were afraid to approach Elsa in fear of Aleks. People were afraid to approach Aleks because she was Aleks. And for the most part, Elsa preferred it that way. Most of the time she was able to keep to herself with little to no worry of other people getting too close to her. Although sometimes, she wished she had more people than just Aleks to talk to. She was her best friend of course, but it practically eliminated any variety in Elsa's social life. But she knew her sister's heart was always in the right place.

"You think I don't know that, Aleks? You think I don't understand being ostracized against my will?!" Her voice was a little louder than she intended, and she was glad that the restaurant was nearly empty.

"What's with the sudden change of your entire demeanor?" Aleks shot back in her seat and crossed her arms. "Just this morning and even this afternoon you were all nervous and saying 'I'm not ready' but now you're ready to face the world?" She looked genuinely confused under the hurt that still showed on her face.

"I know I was." The blonde replied softly. She shrugged and opened her mouth to speak but had troubles finding the words."This is one person, and I'm going to be stuck with her for the rest of the year."

Aleks shook her head and covered her face with her hands. "You know the effects one person can have." Her reply although muffled, was sharp. "I know you haven't forgotten how fathe-"

"Don't bring that up!" Elsa almost screamed as a single tear carved it's way down her porcelain cheek. Their father was a very sensitive for both of the sisters but probably more so for Elsa.

"Elsa, I still hear you cry yourself to sleep most nights despite being in different rooms back with Grandmother Gothel." She started, immediately getting off the subject of their father at her sister's demand. It was true though, many nights Aleks would be kept awake because she heard quiet sobbing through the walls. Be it bad memories, a nightmare, or even night terrors Elsa didn't sleep well often. Many nights she made her way to her room to try and comfort her, but it hardly ever worked. Sometimes it only made it worse. So whenever Aleks heard the sobbing through the walls, she simply chose to leave candy outside of her door. It was a small gesture, but she knew how much her blonde twin loved candy. And she'd do anything to ensure her sister's well-being. "I'm just trying to reiterate that you know how big a difference one person can make."

The blonde wiped the welling tears from her eyes and dropped her head, knowing very well her sister was speaking the cold hard truth. "You never know until you try..." She muttered softly. Raising her face until her icy blue eyes met her sister's. "She just seems different than anyone else." Elsa remembered how the redhead looked completely defenseless as her twin loomed over her. She wanted to badly to intervene, to jump in front of Aleks and tell her that enough is enough. But she couldn't, it seemed like she was frozen in place as she continued watching her assault Anna. It was different to her this time though. Previously whenever Aleks had words with people it came with relief and gratitude for Elsa because she had felt perhaps threatened to a certain degree. Normally she felt protected by her sister as possible would-be bullies buckled in defeat. But after the initial shock she felt once the redhead poked her way out from under the counter, she was willing to give her a chance after hearing her failed attempts at defending herself. And once she saw her run away in tears, she wanted to get up and make sure she was alright. Even if she couldn't do that, she was still able to tell Aleks her opinion on the confrontation.

"What about the whole ice magic thing, Elsa?" Aleks asked, raising her hands and wiggling her fingers. "We've managed to keep it a secret from everyone except three people. Two of those-" Her blue eyes widened and she leaned in a little closer. "-are dead!"

Elsa sighed and cast her gaze to an empty spot on the floor beside her. "We're used to concealing it. We're used to not feeling it." She softly muttered and brought a hand up to gently caress the ends of her braid, twirling blonde strands between slender fingers.

"So what if she finds out?"

Elsa locked her eyes with her sister, and for the first time she saw Aleks seem to bow under her. "I'll handle it." Her tone was much more serious than Aleks had ever seen her twin before.

"Elsa, I don't want you getting hurt." Aleks sounded frustrated as she rubbed her temples. She knew her sister had a good head on her shoulders, she knew right from wrong.

"I know, Aleks. But this is one person. It isn't like I'm going to try making friends with the entire campus." Elsa placed a reassuring hand on her sister's and gave a smile in hopes of lessening her worries. "And besides, I have to learn to stand up for myself eventually don't I? I'm tired of being known as the loner. I'm sure you are too."

Aleks raised her head and copied her sister's smile, although it came off a little weaker. "You're right. I am tired of scaring off everyone. But what caused the whole shift in your outlook?"

Elsa shrugged, not really knowing herself. She didn't feel ready to make her way through a large crowd of people. She still doubted she could handle being in a crowded restaurant without freaking out which is why they often chose restaurants that didn't appear to have too many people in it. "I guess I just took what you said in the car this morning to heart." Her sister's opinion always had great weight with Elsa and she didn't take anything she told her lightly. All Aleks ever tried to do was watch out for Elsa, so of course her opinion would carry a lot of weight with the blonde. When she was telling her that this whole thing would be good for Elsa in the long run, she did think it through a lot. So, she was willing to try and make things better. Baby steps of course. Talking to one person is a small enough step that Elsa was willing to try it. She was living with her, so she'd have to eventually after all.

"You know where to find me, right?"

Elsa gave a quick nod. "A floor below me, room 404 right?"

"You've always been the smart one." Aleks smiled, she was probably just as nervous about all this as Elsa was. But her sister made a very prominent point. They were both tired of being alone, and this was a whole new chapter in their lives.

Finishing their food with irrelevant small talk between bites, Aleks pushed the plate away from her and placed a hand on her stomach and give it a hearty pat. "Think we'll need to pick up anything for the rooms?"

"Well the dorms appeared to be pretty well furnished. Assuming the rest of the room reflects that, what else would we need? We have all the necessities in the back of the car." Elsa answered, thinking about anything that they may have forgotten. They had clothes, school supplies, and toiletries. Aleks even brought her beloved Playstation 4. Elsa didn't really know why though, she wasn't sure how much time she would actually have to play it with how much studying she'd probably have to do to maintain a passing grade in her classes. Back at their Grandmother's, Elsa would constantly have to hound her to get off of the thing and do her homework when she was in danger of failing. She'd always respond with 'just one more game', and she'd have to resort to standing in between the screen and her sister with a textbook in hand to get her to study. Aleks just didn't share the same work ethic as Elsa, if it didn't interest her she'd forget about it and go find something that more suited her fancy.

"Yeah, you're right. Those dorms do look pretty fucking sweet though." Aleks commented with a wide smile which quickly faded when realization dawned on her. "I haven't even met my roommate yet." She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I really hope they aren't a dweeb."

Elsa could just smile and shake her head at her sister, hoping that everything would be alright from the new found confidence welling up inside of her.

* * *

Anna stood at the edge of her newly made bed, smiling contently at the bed set she had chosen. It was just a simple dark, forest type green but Anna loved how warm and inviting it made the bed look. She even found a matching set of curtains which blocked out the last remaining rays of sunlight as it set. Placing her hands on her hips, she gave the room a good look over and was content with it. It wasn't made for royalty or anything, but Anna liked it. Maybe one day she'd go out with Rapunzel again and they could pick out some décor for the room to fill the bare white walls. The redhead was about to make her way over to her duffel bag to begin unpacking when she heard the door to the dorm click open.

She peeked her head through the doorway and gave a sigh of great relief when she noticed it was only Elsa who came through unaccompanied. The memory of her confrontation still weighed heavy on her heart, but the time spent with her cousin alleviated much of that. Although she definitely did not want to have another run in with her. Anna turned back into the dorm and moved the duffel bag from the floor onto the bed to begin unpacking. She decided it would probably be best to just leave Elsa to do her own thing, because quite frankly the redhead was scared of her. So when she turned around to see the blonde staring at her through the doorway, she gave an audible yelp that echoed through the hallway.

"Hi."


	6. A Simple Game

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter took so long to get out! I've been kind of swamped with life stuff and haven't had a whole lot of time to write. I hope this chapter kinda makes up for it. It focuses purely on Elsa and Anna.

It's another one in Anna's point of view, I really don't think the story is driven by one character more than the other.

Anyway, be sure to leave a nice little review or constructive criticism or whatever. I love reading the comments y'all leave.

* * *

"Hi."

The hesitant voice came from the doorway which Anna now stared in bewilderment at. Standing on the threshold of her room stood Elsa, arms crossed over her stomach as she leaned on the door frame. The redhead continued to stand at the edge of her bed and look in the general direction of the blonde without looking directly at her. She cleared her throat and straightened up, crossing her own arms over her stomach to mirror the stance of the girl across from her. It was now that Anna could get a better look at her roommate. The first thing she noticed was how slender she was. She wasn't a sickly slender, but she definitely had a thin form that a lot of people yearn for. And although they were partly covered by the red hoodie she wore, Anna's eyes caught the hips that could make any straight woman question their sexuality. She found herself staring for too long, and a cough from the blonde caused Anna to raise her head to have her eyes meet Elsa's. Even from the few feet between them, Anna could see the chilling blue eyes that seemed to immobilize her.

"Oh, hi me?" Anna nervously commented, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Elsa slowly nodded, never breaking eye contact and shifted her weight so that she was leaning on the other side of the door frame.

"Um, hi." Anna offered a small wave and attempted a smile.

Elsa returned the gesture, only her smile seemed less forced and more natural.

"So what's uh, what's going on?" Anna asked, sitting down on the edge of her bed and placing her hands on her knees. The nervously rubbed them until her hands were warm from the generated friction.

Elsa shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, never breaking eye contact with the redhead across from her. This admittedly made Anna a little more nervous than she already was as she pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows, waiting for Elsa to say something. Waiting for something that wasn't going to happen again anytime soon, apparently.

Anna cleared her throat and nervously chuckled. "So..." She was hoping Elsa would say something, anything that would break the silence between them. But at this rate, the blonde could probably stand in that doorway all night long without a word. _This is actually kind of creepy._ Anna thought and shifted, resting one leg over the other and leaning back on her hands.

Elsa then calmly left the doorway and went off into the hallway. Anna could hear her footsteps on the hardwood floor and guessed she probably went off to the kitchen for some unknown reason. She shrugged to herself and looked at the spot on the bed where the box cutter laid earlier. The sight of it brought back unsavory memories of not only that afternoon, but past memories as well. She couldn't stand the sight of it and put it away before putting the sheets on her bed. The dinner with her cousin had done wonders for her mood and although she didn't feel like her usual self, she couldn't deny the fact that she felt much better. Anna stared at the ceiling above her while she continued to sit on the edge of the bed, simply enjoying the feeling of doing absolutely nothing. She took a deep breath and almost jumped when she lowered her head to see Elsa standing in the doorway again. She was holding a box and was clutching it to her chest as she stared at Anna with a hint of a grin. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a chess game.

Anna cocked an eyebrow at the blonde, wondering why she was randomly holding a chess game when the realization dawned on her. "You want me to play chess with you?" She chuckled, a half smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Elsa's smile widened and she gave a nod. Drumming her fingers on the box, she lifted herself up on her toes and dropped back down. The blonde looked at Anna with hopeful eyes, it was pretty clear that this meant a lot to her.

"I promise you I'm not very good at it, the only board game I've ever really been good at was monopoly and that was only because I liked buying all of the colors and the little dog piece was just so cute." Anna scrunched up her face when she remarked how cute she thought the dog piece was. "I really didn't even know what I was doing when I played with Rapunzel, I'd just buy all of the colors and I somehow ended up winning more than I lost and that always kind of irritated Rapunzel because she'd always think through her moves for like, hours on end." Anna shrugged. "One time she got so angry at how bad I beat her that she locked herself in her room for most of the night. But then she came out at like midnight and we made brownies and made a mess of the kitchen." The redhead giggled at the memory, she continued to talk about how the ruckus they had caused made Rapunzel's parents wake up and scold the both of them not for the mess, but because they didn't think of sharing with them. "Rapunzel's parents were always cool like that, they never really got mad."

Elsa was leaning up against the door frame again, still clutching the chess box and staring at the redhead. She looked genuinely interested in Anna's word vomit, even though her mouth was moving faster than she herself could probably comprehend.

"And it got really crazy when we realized we used the wrong measurement for the water and vegetable oil, so the brownies were like really really spongy like a chocolate pancake and-" Anna cut herself off when she realized she was blankly staring at her hands moving in all different directions while she told her story which she clearly got caught up in. "-oh, I'm sorry." She nervously swept a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I was rambling."

The blonde shook her head as if to tell Anna she didn't mind. Nudging her head down the hallway, she left the doorway again and Anna once again heard her light footsteps make their way down said hall. Bright copper hair tussled slightly when Anna shook her head to herself and took a breath. She shrugged and rose to her feet, reaching for the ceiling in a deep stretch which caused an involuntary yawn. She walked over to the doorway where Elsa previously stood and poked her head to look down the hallway. From her room she could make out blonde hair bobbing up and down on the couch. She was probably setting up the chess board for Anna's inevitable defeat. Creeping her way out of her room and collecting herself as she strode down the short hallway she stopped briefly beside the kitchen. The box from her cousin was still on the counter, untouched and seemingly forgotten. Inspecting the box, it was wrapped similarly to the smaller one which held the box cutter. Realizing she never really needed it in the first place, she forced her thumb nail through the packaging tape and began tearing it off. Opening the box, she blankly stared at the gift from her cousin as a large grin crept its way across her face.

"Frying pan!" Anna shrieked, giddy with glee. Elsa jumped a little and looked back at the redhead, confusion painted on her face. She picked up the cast iron frying pan from the box and rotated it in her grip a few times, testing the weight as her smile grew to the point where it began to hurt. She looked up and noticed Elsa's concerned look from the couch and giggled a little. "Look, Elsa!" Anna extended her arms and bounced on her toes. "It's a frying pan!" The confused look on Elsa's face grew and Anna began to expect she thought she had totally lost her marbles.

"It's kind of an inside thing between Rapunzel and I." Anna began as she held the frying pan, it was definitely heavy enough to hurt somebody. _I'd like to see Aleks get in my face now!_ Anna smirked to herself. "I was over at her house one week in summer when my parents were out of town, and we got a little bored and decided we would play some two person baseball." She adjusted the frying pan so that she was holding it like a baseball bat. "But the only thing was, we didn't have any baseball bats. But her mother loved cooking so she naturally had a lot of frying pans around." She swung the pan, tightening her grip so that she wouldn't end up putting a hole in the wall. The weight of the cast iron made the redhead stumble a little bit. "So, we tossed around a baseball in her backyard and hit it with frying pans! But it didn't stop there!" Anna bounced again and placed the frying pan on the glass top oven, causing an audible clack. "We played baseball with frying pans, golf with frying pans, tennis with frying pans, and even ping pong with them. Sure, it was a little awkward at first but it was a lot of fun!"

Elsa's expression softened and appeared to be a little amused at Anna's recollection of playing sports with a frying pan. "Rapunzel is pretty deadly with these babies, let me tell ya! But we sure had our share of accidents." Anna made her way from the kitchen and sat on the recliner which sat adjacent from the couch. "She once broke her boyfriend's nose with one when he startled her taking a nap." Anna giggled and leaned back in the black leather recliner. "Why she was taking a nap with a frying pan I have no clue, but it was an interesting doctor's visit. And boy did Eugene go on and on about how she broke his 'smoulder' again." Elsa cocked an eyebrow. Anna noticed this and shrugged, trying to keep back more giggles. "Yes. Again. His 'smoulder' as he calls it is some ridiculous face he makes when he tries to get his way. It's like his own version of a pout or a puppy dog face." Anna concluded and placed her hands on her knees and sat up straight. She looked over at the blonde with wide eyes. "So, chess?"

Elsa smiled and gave an enthusiastic nod as she gestured at the chess board laid out on the wooden coffee table in front of both girls. The black and white chess pieces were laid out perfectly on the checkered board, a straight line of pawns in front of the assorted other pieces. The kings towered over the rest of the pieces. But there was something off about the pieces, the paint on the wood was chipped on almost all of them. Other pieces hardly had any paint and all, and some of the pieces even appeared to be slightly splintered. Paint was also chipped on the board itself and the corners were in pretty bad shape in particular. _Water damage? _Anna picked up the black rook which sat on her side and she brought it close to her face. They were in worse condition than Anna first guessed, she expected the pieces to still feel fairly smooth but they were actually pretty rough.

Elsa's hand bolted and took the piece from the redhead, leaving her staring in shock. She placed the rook back in its rightful place and crossed her arms around her stomach, closing into herself. Anna noticed this and scooted to the edge of her seat, placing her hand on Elsa's knee she could feel it tense up as the blonde cast her gaze to an empty spot beside her.

Anna wanted to ask her a million questions. Why she was tensed up. Why the took the rook from her. Why she hasn't spoken since greeting her. Why chess of all games. Why did the pieces appear water damaged. _Why is Aleks such a bitch? _She ultimately decided that she wasn't about to scare Elsa off. She finally seemed to have the opportunity to prove that she can do something right. Although her first instinct was to ask questions, she decided that instead of bombarding the seemingly defenseless blonde with an endless barrage of vocal inquiries, Anna took a different approach to make Elsa a little more comfortable. "Honestly, I don't even know how to play chess." She admitted.

Elsa looked up and stared into Anna's turquoise eyes which seemed to be filled with equal parts concern and hope. The redhead noticed a fresh glaze of tears over the blue eyes that stared at her. She shrugged and retreated back to her own seat, watching as Elsa slowly uncrossed her arms and eased a little. "Never learned how. Probably why Rapunzel always beat me."

Elsa rubbed her eyes and a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "I'll teach you." She said nervously and under her breath, Anna barely heard her.

The redhead beamed at the sound of the blonde's voice. Even if it were barely audible and hardly above a whisper, she saw it as progress and it brightened her mood. "I know all the little pawn guys can only move forward and attack diagonally." Anna started, trying not to sound completely clueless even though she was. She didn't pick up on a whole lot through all the games with her cousin, but she knew a little bit. She knew how the pawns worked, and knew that the aim of the game was to take out the opponents king. Other than that though, she was practically blind. Elsa nodded in agreement at Anna's statement regarding the pawns. "But what do the little castles do?" The redhead picked up the rook again and gingerly held it in between delicate fingers. The slightly splintered wood was rough, and she tried not to inspect it too close again.

"T-they're called rooks." Elsa corrected, raising her voice hardly above a whisper. "They can move however many spaces you want either vertically or horizontally." She stuck her hands in the pocket of her hoodie, and sunk into the couch a bit more.

"Oh, that's cool." Anna placed the rook back in it's rightful place but her eyes never moved from the shy woman in front of her. _She seems so nervous and just out of place. I could totally see her as the stuffy librarian kind of person._ "What about the pointy dudes with the cool looking hats?" She pointed to a piece next to the king.

"Bishop. They only move diagonally, and on their respective colors." Anna cocked an eyebrow in slight confusion and Elsa seemed to notice. "If it starts on a white square, it can only move on white squares in a diagonal direction. Same thing if it starts on the black square." She finished.

Anna inspected the bishops and imagined how they would move. It made sense, the bishop that started on the black square couldn't logically move on a white square due to how the board was set up. She began to realize that taking out even one of the bishops would be a pretty smart thing to do early on. "What about the queen?" Anna pointed to the piece that appeared to have a small cross on top that she assumed to be the queen.

"That's the king."

"...oh." Anna gave a small giggle and adjusted so that she was pointing to the queen.

"The queen is probably the most powerful piece. It can move in any direction, but cannot move like a knight."

"Knight?"

"The horse." Elsa answered. She picked up one of the knights that was on her side and placed it in the middle of the board. "They can only move in an 'L' kind of shape."

Anna grazed her fingers over the chipped white paint of the knight and grasped it. She slid it four spaces forward and three to the right, ending up near the edge of the board. She was technically right, she made an 'L' shape with the movements. Elsa lightly sighed and almost let out a small laugh at how clueless Anna appeared.

"Almost." Elsa smirked. She took a hand from her hoodie and lightly placed it on top of Anna's to guide her. Her skin felt cool to the touch on the back of Anna's hand despite the fact it was just in her hoodie pocket. Elsa's hand jumped back and she shied away before gingerly placing her trembling fingers back on the redhead's hand. Anna noticed her eyes were shut and her face was tightened with pursed lips. As if she was straining or even struggling with something. Anna's eyes widened when she noticed the blonde's eyebrows slightly twitch, then she felt her hand begin to move. The knight along with her hand were shifted three spaces to the left and one forward, forming a much smaller 'L' form.

Elsa then barely opened an eye and met Anna's warm expression. She slid her hand off of the redhead's and stuck it back in her hoodie.

"I suppose that makes a little more sense, huh?" Anna remarked.

Elsa's softened and came out of her self-constructed shell a little. Removing her hands from her hoodie and placing them on her knees and gave Anna a blank look which could mean anything. Anna couldn't tell how she was feeling from the blank look. Maybe happy, maybe sad. Maybe even a little relieved. Elsa gave a quick nod and returned the knight to it's rightful place on her side of the board.

Anna rested her elbows on her knees and leaned forward. She studied Elsa's expression but still couldn't make anything out from it. Although being this close gave her the perfect opportunity to get a good look at her. She initially noticed how pale her skin was. It wasn't a sickly kind of pale, but more like a porcelain doll or fine ivory. And it looked so smooth! She wasn't sure she had any kind of imperfections at all on her face. No scars nor were there any signs of acne. Nothing. Just clear skin with the lightest freckles which were painted on her cheeks and nose. Her cheekbones were fairly well defined and higher on her face than most peoples, giving her a regal kind of look. And her eyes! They were much more of a pure blue than Anna's which were splashed with a hint of green. _She's so pretty! I can't believe how jealous I am!_ Her head tilted as she continued to gaze at the blonde, taking note of every inch of her face. Elsa's eyebrows came together as she nervously backed up a little. _You're staring, Anna._

"Oh, sorry!" Anna nervously repented. She cleared her voice and straightened up. "So, chess huh?"

Elsa nodded and picked up a pawn to start the first move. Still, Anna was pretty much clueless as to what she was doing. But in between moves the stole little glances at Elsa, who often appeared to be deep in thought and took her sweet time contemplating every little move. Anna did attempt an actual strategy though. She wanted to remove her opponent's bishops because she thought they would end up decimating all of her pieces if they were given the chance. Although that didn't seem to work out too well, within minutes she had already lost two pawns and a rook.

"You're really good at this, Elsa! I think you could even beat Rapunzel." Anna smiled, appearing cheery despite the fact she was losing.

Elsa was shaken from her trance and met Anna's eyes. "Uh, t-thank you. I've had a lot of practice I uh, I guess." She returned to her deep thought and made another move, capturing another of Anna's pawns.

Anna swept a loose strand of hair behind her ear and studied the board. She was at a clear disadvantage, not even taking a single white piece yet. She did see an opportunity though, Elsa had mistakenly left one of her knights open for the taking by Anna's bishop. She internally shrieked as she noticed this, and took no hesitation in sliding her bishop from across the board to take the knight. Elsa was taken back a little bit and her eyes shot open in shock. It was clear that she didn't expect that and Anna was giddy inside at the small victory. But it didn't last long, as her bishop was soon taken by the rook she didn't notice. She cursed under her breath and tried to take the game more seriously. But the certainty and grace even in the most subtle moves from Elsa seemed to belittle the redhead. It seemed like with every move Anna lost ground and pieces as Elsa's crept closer and closer to her king. The board started even parts black and white, but now only a few black pieces remained. Anna looked and took note of what she had left. Her king, queen, two pawns and a rook. While the only thing Elsa was missing was one knight. Anna tried to strategize by using a pawn as bait so that her queen can swoop in and take a piece. She managed to set up her trap seemingly without notice from Elsa, and she grew a little proud of herself. But then Elsa moved her queen across the board to take Anna's in one swift motion. Anna's shoulders sunk and scolded herself for not noticing that.

"Checkmate."

"What?" Anna raised an eyebrow. It was true, no matter how she moved her king it would still be in jeopardy of being taken from one of Elsa's pieces. She also had no possible moves that would remove the threat. She lost fair and square.

"You played pretty well though, I couldn't really figure out why you were letting me take so many pieces and I got sloppy." The blonde fidgeted in her seat and swung one leg over the other before finding a comfortable position.

"Sloppy?" Anna asked in obvious confusion. To her, nothing about that game was sloppy on Elsa's part. She completely destroyed her which was evident by all of her missing pieces.

"I lost a rook." She pointed to the single white piece on Anna's side of the board.

Anna was completely baffled at how Elsa thought she was sloppy for losing a single piece. She gave a nervous chuckle as she noticed the plethora of black pieces on the side opposite of her's. "But look at how you won! By a landslide I would say!" Anna smiled again, simply glad that Elsa was talking to her now. "I told you I wasn't very good at chess." She finished.

"You'll get better over time." Elsa winked. "Promise." She sat up and began to put the pieces back in the box and folded up the board.

"You're assuming I'll play again." Anna crossed her arms and gave a smug look in an attempt to mess around with the blonde. Of course she would play again if Elsa asked, but she didn't have to know that.

Elsa stopped her movements for a brief moment and tenderly placed the board back in the box and closed it. "Would you like to play again sometime?" She managed to get out under her breath. It was clear she didn't expect the attitude change from Anna.

_I think I scared her! Damnit, Anna. Be more friendly! She's actually warming up to you a little bit! _Anna stumbled over her words. "I-I mean of course I would play chess with you again! I was just trying to play around a little bit and I'm sorry if I offended you or something but I mean oh yeah totally I'll play chess with you! Maybe we could even shake it up and play checkers or monopoly too!" _Shut up, Anna._

Elsa picked up the box and placed it on her lap. "I would be okay with checkers." She admitted and started to drum her fingers on the box. "I don't have the pieces though." Her face dropped.

"I was totally kidding, Elsa. Don't worry about it. It was just something I spewed out in my rambling." She scrambled to get the words out in an attempt to lighten Elsa's mood. But she would prefer checkers over chess any day if given the chance. Even if she wasn't exactly good at checkers either she was much better at it than chess. At least in checkers the pieces could only move in one way unless they were a king. She did genuinely enjoy the chess match though despite losing. And despite Elsa being quiet, shy, and soft spoken she liked her much more than her sister. At least this one didn't punch her in the face when she greeted her.

"You talk a lot." Elsa noted in a monotone fashion as she stood to place the chess box on the bar.

The comment took Anna by surprise and she didn't know whether to take it offensively or not. She knew she talked a lot, not only did she remind herself of it quite often but the people she annoyed would tell her constantly. Which meant she wasn't a stranger to hearing the comment. But it still hurt her every time, she couldn't really help that as much as she couldn't help talking. It was something she did to defend herself. Her face dropped to the floor and she intertwined her fingers, keeping her attention off of the comment from the blonde. "Tell me about it." She muttered under her breath, feeling hurt.

Elsa turned to look at the woman feeling sorry for herself from the kitchen where she continued to stand. "I'm sorry." She walked back over to the kitchen and sat down on the couch. "I didn't mean it in a bad way."

Anna shook her head and tried to get a small chuckle out. "I'm used to it." She waved Elsa off. "It's alright. No big deal." She lied between her teeth. "It's been a hell of a day. I'm heading to bed alright?" She stood up and smiled at the blonde, trying her best to look normal. Although she wasn't too sure what normal was. She gave a small wave and turned to walk away.

"Thank you for playing chess with me, Anna." Elsa gave an unsure wave in response and stared at the space in front of the redhead.

Anna made her way down the hallway and rubbed her eyes which were still sore from the afternoon's events. It was true though, it was one hell of a day. A six hour car ride which consisted of singing show tunes with Eugene, being punched in the face by a very violent and condescending she-beast, crying her eyes out, dinner with Rapunzel, and a game of chess with the beast's sister. Shutting the door behind her she fell on the bed and let out a load groan. It was going to be an interesting school year.


	7. Storms

**A/N:** Sorry this update took so long to get out. Graduation and a trip to Disney World kept me away from my laptop.

But, here it is! Pretty solid trigger warning in this chapter pertaining to child abuse. Be aware of that.

Back story is starting to rear it's head in, I may dedicate a chapter purely to back story here soon. It's obviously very important to the story and the characters.

But, I'm rambling.

Enjoy!

* * *

Elsa sat on the couch alone in complete solitude. The air was still and quiet which only made the silence much more prominent. The only light in the room came from the overhead light in the kitchen, which barely illuminated a part of the living room despite being right next to each other. This was actually the first time in a long while that Elsa was left alone in solitude. She normally always had Aleks relatively close to her, if it wasn't Aleks it was somebody. Anybody. But not this time, she was completely alone and she wasn't sure how to react to it. On one hand she was relieved, but on the other hand she couldn't stand it. Being alone only served to remind her of countless nights alone in her room.

Crying.

Vulnerable.

Weak.

Eventually Elsa started shutting everyone out during the times in which her emotions overpowered her. Their grandmother Gothel had given up on gaining entry into her room after awhile. Figuring it would just be best let her sort herself out. Aleks was much more persistent. Often spending nights outside of Elsa's door in hopes of easing some of her twin's pain. Sometimes Elsa would let her in and they would play chess throughout the night. The memory did bring the blonde some joy, only to be replaced by sadness and regret when she remembered how much of an effect her emotions had on her powers. Her touch would constantly freeze the wooden pieces, and the constant freezing and thawing certainly took it's toll on the poor chess pieces. When Anna had picked up the chess piece and started to inspect it, she had panicked and didn't want her asking questions. She was lucky that Anna didn't push the subject, but she looked really curious about it all.

And other times Aleks would just leave small treats outside of Elsa's door in the middle of the night. It was a small gesture, but Elsa loved her sister for it. It was almost always chocolate, it was her favorite. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate with nuts in it, it didn't matter to Elsa. As long as it was smooth, sweet, and full of delicious cocoa flavor.

Elsa sighed as she finished reminiscing, but suddenly had a craving for chocolate. Wondering if she remembered to bring any, she left the couch to check her purse she left on the dining room table. She reached her hand in and rustled about aimlessly trying to find any kind of chocolatey goodness. When she had emptied most of it's contents on the table, she found a Hershey's bar in one of the pockets on the side with a small sticky note attached to it. She recognized the handwriting as Aleks' immediately, it was hard to mistake her rushed cursive.

'Hey, I figured you might need this eventually. Sorry there isn't more. Text me if you need me.' Short, sweet, blunt, and to the point just like Aleks. Elsa smiled and stuck the note in her purse as she tidied the small pile of assorted items back into her purse. She eyed the chocolate bar in her hands and felt the smooth wrapping under her slender fingers. Milk chocolate with almonds. She licked her lips as she ripped open the package and stuck a square in her mouth. Smooth, sweet, and just a small crunch from the almonds. It was exactly what she had wanted and she savored the taste. Feeling the cocoa goodness run down her throat, she broke off another square and stuck it in her mouth. She sat down at the small table and pulled out her phone. She had a message from Aleks' from about thirty minutes ago when she was engrossed in her chess game.

'Hey, you alright? I'm stuck here with some indian chick. Her name is like Pokemon or something.' Elsa shook her head and rolled her eyes with a small smile.

'Yeah, everything is okay. I'm sorry for the late response, I was caught up in a game of chess.' She typed out and hit send as she stuck another piece of chocolate in her mouth.

Elsa stuck the phone back in her pocket, placed the rest of the chocolate bar back in her purse and made her way down the hall to her room. On the way she glanced over to the door adjacent to her room where she assumed Anna would be fast asleep. She remembered the chess game they had finished not too long ago. She really didn't know what to think of the redhead quite yet. She had a certain... spunky kind of appeal in a weird way. Always rambling on about something as if she loves the sound of her own voice. These qualities were normally some of the quickest ways to annoy Elsa. She preferred the calm and the quiet, two things Anna certainly were not. But she decided that Anna wasn't a real threat to her or anything. She had seemed nice enough, but Elsa knew not to judge a book by it's cover. Although she would enjoy getting to know her better before putting a final verdict on her.

Her leg vibrated as she pulled her phone out and swiped the screen, the bright light of her phone nearly blinding her for a second. 'Did she ask about how shitty the pieces look? Do I need to rough her up, Elsa? You know I will.' Elsa sighed again and felt herself fill with regret. She really didn't enjoy seeing the poor girl buckle underneath her sister. And she certainly did not want to see it again. _I really should have stopped her._

'She noticed but didn't ask any questions. It's okay, Aleks. I promise.' Elsa hesitated for a moment about hitting send and she decided to change the subject. 'So, Pokemon huh?' She added to the end of her message and hit send.

However, curiosity got the best of the blonde and she gingerly pressed her ear up against the cool wooden door. She didn't hear anything, just emptiness. No snoring, or rustling of sheets or anything. She was about to leave when she was taken by surprise by a sound from the other side of the door. A small whimper followed by an even smaller sniffle. It seemed that Anna was crying. Elsa had noticed how red her eyes were during their chess match despite the dim lighting, and she had hoped it was from fatigue. But now it was apparent she was more shaken up over her squabble with Aleks' earlier. At least that's what she assumed.

Her phone buzzed and again she pulled it from her jeans. 'Yeah, her name is really weird and she keeps talking about how I seem tense and need to calm down.' Elsa put her hand over her mouth to keep herself from emitting a small chuckle in order to keep her presence on the other side of the door unknown. The thought of someone trying to calm Aleks down was extremely humorous and probably impossible.

'Haha. Please try to get along with her, Aleks. You're stuck with her for the year, after all.' She hit send and returned her ear to the door. She heard another whimper and her eyes dropped. She hated knowing people were hurting, but she could never do anything about it. She was used to herself hurting, and didn't want anyone else feeling that kind of pain. And yet she was always too afraid to help people in fear of them hurting her somehow. There were many times she went to the bathroom in high school and heard sobbing coming from stalls. Her heart would ache for those behind the doors, but all she could do was curtly leave without a word. The only exception to this was Aleks. She was stronger than Elsa when it came to her emotions, but even she wasn't invulnerable. The chess games proved therapeutic to the both of them, but she was always much more destructive when she was in pain. Elsa lost count how many times Aleks' bedroom window had to be replaced because of how often it would shatter from her outbursts.

But this time, Elsa decided it was time to actually do something. She reached into her purse and pulled out a pencil and the sticky note that was attached to the chocolate bar. Bearing up against the wall, she erased her sisters message and wrote out three simple words. 'It'll be alright.' Elsa wasn't sure what was bothering the woman on the other side of the door, but she hoped the simple message would be enough to help a little. She still felt totally helpless on the other side of the door though, but not nearly strong enough to open it. So this was the best she could do.

She looked down at her phone when it vibrated again, reading another message from Aleks. 'Whatever you say. I'm going to bed early. Goodnight, sis.'

'I'm heading there myself right now. Goodnight.' Elsa hit send and stuck her phone back in her pocket. She knelt down to stick the note underneath the door but paused for a moment. Maybe there was something more she could do. _I'm not sure if she's a chocolate person. But if it helps, it's really the least I could do after letting her get torn apart by Aleks._ Elsa reached into her purse and pulled out the chocolate bar she had barely touched. She really didn't want to give up the cocoa flavored gold she held in her hands, but it was for a good cause. Taking a deep breath, she stuck the sticky note onto the wrapping and slid it under the door. Rising to her feet, she turned to her own door and walked into the small room which was identical to the one adjacent to it.

The bare bed stood in front of the blonde as she didn't realize they had to supply their own sheets and blankets. Elsa placed a hand over her face and sighed with discontent. She wouldn't like it, but she could go without for a night. She'll just have to remember to buy sheets in the morning. Which probably meant she'd have to wake Aleks up early. Which probably meant she'd have to walk down to her dorm and into her room to drag her out of the bed. Again.

Elsa pulled the red hoodie over her head and revealed a dark blue tank top underneath, the cold wouldn't really bother her much but she did need a pillow. She rolled up the hoodie and placed it neatly on the far end of the bed before crawling onto the bed and resting her head on it. Quite frankly, she was exhausted and it wasn't long before a very welcome sleep overcame her.

* * *

Sunlight assaulted her eyelids as Elsa saw bright red under shut eyes. It seems like curtains would be another necessity. She stretched and touched the back wall with her fingertips as her toes hung off the edge of the bed. After a satisfying couple of pops from her spine, Elsa opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling above her. It took her a moment to realize she was not in her usual room, but at somewhere unfamiliar and completely new. She recounted the previous nights activities and decided it would be best to check up on the redhead after hearing her crying through her door. Sitting up, Elsa covered her mouth as she yawned and pulled up a strap on her tank top that had fallen down her arm during her sleep. She licked her teeth and was taken back from the taste of morning breath. She needed to brush her teeth. She took a deep breath. She needed to shower as well.

Turning so that her legs hung over the edge of the bed, she undid her long braid and tousled the blonde locks to the point to where she probably looked like a lion. Standing up and gazing around the room to catch her bearings, she noticed a sheet of notebook paper on the stand next to her bed. Elsa rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she picked it up and read the hasty handwriting.

'Thank you. The chocolate was yummy and I'll repay you later.' There was a smiley face at the end of the sentence. 'And also, you look adorable when you're sleeping. -Anna'

Elsa blinked once. Twice.

"She walked into my room!" She stomped in disbelief. "While I was sleeping!" Elsa sighed and rubbed her temple and placed the note back on her nightstand. It would be wise to talk to Anna about boundaries and proper etiquette when it came to bedrooms. Although maybe quite this second as the more Elsa stood around the more she felt grimy and dirty and just overall gross. She walked out of the room and towards the dining room where she left her suitcases with a bit of a stride. That shower sounded really good at the moment and she couldn't wait to wash away her worries for the moment.

"Well good morning there sleepy pants!" The tone of the voice was unnaturally enthusiastic, made Elsa jump, and quite frankly Elsa found it annoying so soon after waking up.

Anna sat on one corner of the couch on her phone, but had looked up when Elsa made her way from the hall. She had on a simple dark green t-shirt and an unbuttoned plaid shirt over it with loose fitting, baggy jeans. It was such a simple outfit Elsa thought, but she couldn't deny that it did look pretty good on the redhead.

"If you're going to look for something to eat, you won't find anything. I already tried." She shrugged. "Guess it was too much to assume it would come stocked with food too, huh?" Tone still way too enthusiastic for what she was talking about. And even the thought of food so soon made Elsa feel sick.

Anna held her hand over her mouth to stifle a budding chuckle. "I like your hair."

Elsa ran her hand through her bedhead and raised her eyebrows at the redhead. "I was actually about to make my way to the shower." Sleep still heavy in her voice.

"There aren't any towels either. I had to lay under my ceiling fan for a good fifteen minutes to dry."

"Lovely." Elsa commented with faux glee.

"We should go out shopping when you finish up." Anna stood up from the couch and stuck her hands in her pockets. "I mean, there isn't any food. Or towels, or toilet paper, and there wasn't even any bedsheets-" Anna continued to list things the dorm was missing while Elsa absentmindedly listened to her ramblings and made her way towards the dining room. She picked up a suitcase and started to walk back towards the bathroom. "-I mean, who doesn't carry around a frying pan right?"

Elsa really didn't want to go out with a girl she hardly knew to buy household items and food. It certainly wasn't a money issue, their parents made sure that both her and Aleks would be set practically for life. But she hardly knew Anna, and if she was like this so early in the morning it was safe to imply that it would only get worse.

"How are you so chipper in the morning?" Elsa turned around and asked, genuine curiosity in her voice. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. It was 8:12 am. Even morning people had to have trouble being so sprightly that early.

"Oh, I've been up for a couple hours now." The redhead rocked back and forth on her feet. "I'm a slow riser and the morning sun is practically my mortal enemy." She gave a small chuckle. "But I figured I'd wake up really early this morning so we could spend the day making this dorm feel like a home!" She beamed and Elsa couldn't help but feel warmth grow in her chest.

"Well, I certainly would love a coffee maker..." Elsa replied as she rubbed the back of her neck. She couldn't ignore the fact that they were missing a lot of necessities. So it seemed like she would have to put up with Anna for the day. "Let me get a shower real quick and we'll figure out transportation and list out what we need. Okay?"

"Oh! That's alright, I've already planned ahead a bit." Anna butted in with a cheery tone in her voice, as if it could get any more cheery. "There's actually a mall about a mile away. It's a bit of a walk but it's a nice sunny day!" She smiled again, extended her arms and rose on her toes.

_She certainly is um... animated I guess would be an accurate word. And Aleks is probably still asleep, I don't want to take the car without her knowing. _Elsa rubbed her eyes again and gave a short affirmative nod to the gleeful redhead across from her. _I wouldn't mind a walk, it would give me a little time to enjoy the outdoors and get some nice fresh- _Elsa's eyes widened as she just finished processing everything Anna had just said. _-did she say a mall? Don't people go to malls? Of course people go to malls! Lots of people! _She felt her palms begin to clam up and she took a deep breath to steady her quickened breathing. Awkwardly wiping her palms on the back of her jeans to alleviate some of the collecting sweat, she turned and started walking towards the bathroom. It was bad enough she had to walk a mile with a woman she barely knew and who quite frankly, already slightly annoyed her this morning. But now she had to be surrounded by hundreds of people she didn't know in a crowded space.

_Maybe I should wake Aleks up so she could come with us..._ Elsa pondered doing just that, she knew Aleks would tag along with no real issue. And she would certainly feel better with her twin around in case anything went astray. But she knew it wasn't a real feasible plan, the relationship between Aleks and Anna wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows. And the crying from behind the door only further proved that point. At least that's what Elsa assumed. But she didn't want to just chicken out from this, they really did need a lot of things for the dorm. And it was an opportunity to make a friend who wasn't Aleks. It was just something she'd have to suck up and deal with.

After all, it's a new beginning. New place, new people, new opportunities. Elsa planned to take advantage of that.

She closed the bathroom door behind her and let out a sigh. It certainly wasn't going to be easy on her though. Dropping the suitcase on the sink counter, she opened out and pulled out various toiletries and placed them on the rim of the tub. She was grateful that the shower at least came with a curtain, it was one thing she didn't have to worry about. _The dorm as a whole really is a dream. But you'd expect it would come adequately stocked with towels and bedsheets... _Elsa knelt down and opened up the cabinets under the sink, which were completely empty saved for piping from the sink. _Or toilet paper. _She rolled her eyes and stood back up and finally saw her reflection in the mirror. She really did look like some kind of blonde lion with her hair going every which direction. Pulling out a toothbrush and toothpaste from a small zippered compartment in the suitcase she wet the brush, squeezed out a fair amount of paste and began brushing her teeth. The minty flavor was a well received saving from the morning breath.

_I'm sure it won't be too bad. I mean it's still fairly early, so maybe it won't be as crowded. _But nonetheless she was sure that there would be people there, and nowhere to really hide. Nowhere to get away, and no way to protect herself. She would feel their judgmental eyes from small glances, they would know how vulnerable she looked. They'd know exactly how to hurt her. They would insult her either behind her back or via snickers from across the room. People would come up to her and try to talk to her, ask her why she was so quiet. Start pushing her around and beating her. Leaving new bruises to hate herself over, because it was her fault she couldn't defend herself. It was her fault she could never defend herself, why Aleks always had to come to her rescue. As a child from their father, as a teenager from classmates, and now even as an adult from people she never met before in her life. She couldn't defend herself, she would only be seen as a monster.

Elsa dropped her toothbrush in frustration, sending droplets of toothpaste over the sink. She noticed tears cascading freely down her face and collecting on her chin before falling into the sink. Falling to her elbows and gripping the back of her head she gritted her teeth. _But you've always been a monster. Doing nothing can be much more worse than actually doing something. Anna probably wouldn't have been up last night crying if you had stood up for her. People are still suffering. _She met her own gaze in the reflection again. _Because of you._

Snowflakes started to form and float around Elsa's slim form in a lazy rotation. The small flurry quickly cooled the room but Elsa never even noticed as her rampant emotions did nothing but cause the snow to pick up speed. She was unknowingly literally caught in a swirling storm of her own emotion as she dropped to her knees and cradled her face. And it was only a matter of time until her own thoughts got the best of her and she lost control, just like she had countless nights alone in her room. By the time she finally fell asleep the entire room would be in disarray from the winds knocking things off of shelves.

_Aleks is the only family you have left and she's still trying to make up for your screw ups. Because you can't defend yourself! She has to do it for you, Elsa! _Blonde hair covered her face and stuck to the stream of tears still flowing from her eyes. She gripped the counter and frost skittered across it as the stream of water from the faucet froze solid. The problem was that Elsa remembered. She remembered everything and replayed it in her head over and over again. Every little argument, every little accusation, every night staying up crying. Every night wondering if she was going to make it through to see morning without a new bruise, a new emotional scar. Every night blaming herself for everything wrong with her life.

Every night wondering if there was any shred of humanity in her or if she really was the monster her father made her believe she was. If she really belonged anywhere.

There was a knock on the door as Elsa bolted her head up and the storm around her froze in place. Snowflakes reflecting light from the overhead light in the bathroom and sending small rays of light over the room like little diamonds.

"You alright? I heard something fall" Anna's voice came from the other side of the door.

Elsa frantically looked around her to find that her suitcase had fallen and hit the floor, probably causing a loud thump which she couldn't hear while she was locked in the storm. She wiped her eyes with the heels of her palms and wiped her nose. Rising to her feet, she brushed the sticking strands of hair from her face.

"Yes, everything is okay. I just knocked over my shampoo bottle on accident." She managed to get out without stuttering or breaking any words.

"Okey dokey." Elsa could hear the pitter-patter of footsteps growing more quiet as Anna moved away from the door.

She stared at herself in the mirror again, face red and eyes still glistening with tears ready to fall. She then noticed the frost lining the counter top, the frozen faucet, and the reflection of tiny snowflakes in the air around her. They looked more like small sparkles, perhaps even stars around the blonde as they continued to shine and reflect light. She sighed and collected herself as one by one they disappeared with a tiny glimmer. The frost on the counter also disappeared into thin air, and the water from the faucet started to run freely again. She slowly bent over and picked up the fallen suitcase, collecting the clothes and placing them back in it as she set it back onto the counter with a sigh.

Elsa looked down at her hands and eyed her palms over. Closing and opening her fist several times as if to confirm that she was still alive and real. With another sigh she ran her hands through her hair and away from her face as she began to undress. Although the storm was gone, the room was still considerably colder she noticed when she had removed her pants and panties causing hair on the back of her neck to stand on edge. The cold didn't really bother her, she much preferred to be cold than hot actually. She took off her tank top which was slightly dampened from her tears and unclasped her bra letting her breasts fall free. Just like her face, the rest of her body was the same pale skin tone as if she never saw the light of day in her life. Which if Grandmother Gothel had her way, she never would have.

The blonde turned to face the shower and turned the knob on the wall and water flowed from the faucet. She sat on the edge of the tub and leaned her head on her hand as she periodically tested the warmth of the water. As soon as she dubbed it warm enough, she started the shower and stepped into the warm, steady stream of water which was a stark contrast to the overall temperature of the room. She rested her forehead on the wall in front of her and enjoyed the warm water trailing down her body.

_This certainly isn't going to be easy._


	8. Bed, Bath and Childhood Memories

**A/N: **A relatively quick update for y'all. I'm not sure when the next time I'll be able to update will be. In three days I'll be making a 10 day trip across the country, and won't have internet access until the end of July.

But I'll still be able to write, so hopefully I'll have a couple chapters ready for you guys by then!

**TRIGGER WARNING!: **Reference to self harm early in the chapter, and child abuse near the end of the chapter.

But on the bright side, the Elsanna train is beginning its slow roll!

As always, constructive criticism is always welcomed!

Enjoy!

* * *

"So, what are you majoring in?" Anna nervously asked as she strolled along the sidewalk next to Elsa. Most of the trip was in relative silence and it made the redhead nervous. She was antsy for conversation and the cars passing by in a blur can only keep her attention for so long. But at least it wasn't as humid as the day before, it was warm but still comfortable with not a single cloud in the sky. To her surprise, she wasn't even sweating despite the brisk pace they were walking. Although she was somewhat regretting deciding to walk, walking half a mile in flip flops wasn't exactly her smartest idea she figured once her heels started to ache.

Elsa adjusted the straps of her purse on her shoulder and continued to stare directly in front of her, seemingly at nothing. She eyed the redhead for a moment before returning her gaze to the space in front of her. "Architecture." The blank look on Anna's face was a clear indicator that the answer wasn't satisfactory. "Math has always been my favorite subject. Geometry specifically, and I figured I'd put those skills to use and design buildings." She finished dismissively and Anna wasn't sure how to react. The redhead clasped her hands behind her back and put a little more confidence in her step.

"That's really cool, I could totally see you as the architect type!" She commented with a sidewards glance and a small smile. "Maybe you'll end up designing some super cool monument or something, but hopefully nothing like the Washington monument cause it looks like a penis and I laugh whenever I see it."

The comment struck Elsa by total surprise as she randomly burst into a fit of giggles which stopped her head in her tracks. Anna turned and saw the blonde doubled over in laughter and couldn't help but a laugh a little herself. "It kind of does look like a penis, doesn't it?" Elsa managed to get out in between giggle fits.

With bolstered confidence from the positive response, Anna beamed and joined her in laughter. "It's all pointed at the top too so that only makes it funnier!" The added comment bolstered the laughter from the too as Elsa tried catching her breath in between laughs. Finally after what seemed like an eternity the stood up and lifted her arms up in a deep stretch.

"I'll try my best to not design any geometrical penises, but I make no promises." Elsa shrugged with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. And Anna was full of glee and warmth from seeing the blonde let loose and actually laugh. She didn't even know her for a full day yet but she was always so stiff and resolute. Seeing her bent over in laughter was a strange sight but Anna enjoyed every little bit of it. Maybe she wasn't as bad as she thought. Maybe she could make a friend out of Elsa.

"Well if you do, let me know so I can be there for the grand opening!" They continued walking at a more relaxed pace, which Anna was grateful for with her aching heels. "And silently laugh to myself." She added with a playful shrug, glad to be making conversation with her dorm mate. It made her feel like she was doing something right, although she was still a little wary talking to her after the threat made from her twin. It certainly made the night hard for her, she knew everything Aleks told her. But actually hearing it from another person was completely different. And it didn't help that it would constantly replay over and over again in her head like a nightmare she couldn't escape. How do you escape yourself? You can't. And Anna was well aware of it. In all honesty she half expected herself to slip into old habits last night but the chocolate that was slipped under her door stopped her from doing something she'd regret. She had enough emotional scars, she didn't need physical ones to reflect them. But she did make a mental note to repay Elsa. She didn't know how, but she would.

"So what are you pursuing a degree in, Anna?" The question kind of hit Anna by surprise. By all accounts the didn't think Elsa would have an interest in her life.

"Culinary arts, actually. I've always loved food and have been pretty good at cooking." She brushed a stray lock of copper hair behind her ear and glanced to her side as she caught the blur of a passing car. "My dream is to actually own my own restaurant one day." She gave a slight, nervous chuckle and sounded unsure of herself like she was ashamed. "Maybe a nice sandwich shop." Anna shook her head as if to try and shake off what was bothering her. "I know it sounds a little silly."

She felt a hand gently fall on her shoulder as Anna turned to meet Elsa's smiling face. And for a moment everything seemed to freeze when their eyes met. All that mattered in that moment was the comforting look on the blonde's face. "It's not silly. It actually sounds very nice, Anna." She said it softly and in a tone that could probably lull any restless child into a deep slumber.

"You really think so? I mean most people I've talked to have always told me it isn't a 'real career' and that I need to rethink what I wanted to do with the rest of my life but baking and cooking are really the only things that I really really enjoy doing and I'm good at it too!" She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with warm summer air. "I've tried doing other things, like for awhile I wanted to go into art like my cousin but I could hardly tell the difference between watercolor and acrylic paint. Or clay and play doh for that matter. And after that I thought I would go into some kind of sport like my friend Eugene, but I'm not nearly as athletic as he is and he once tried to teach me how to play soccer and let me tell you, that did not end up like I planned! And then I th-" She was halted in her tracks figuratively and literally as Elsa placed her hand over her mouth, stopping her from talking and moving. Elsa raised her eyebrows and slowly removed her hand while never relinquishing eye contact.

"I get it, Anna." She said with a laugh, and instantly Anna could feel any anxiety or worries melt off of her as the blonde continued to stare into her eyes. She didn't realize before how blue they were. People often say that the eyes are the windows to a person's soul. And if that was the case, Elsa's soul was absolutely stunning. But something in the way Elsa was looking at Anna told her that the words coming from her mouth were completely genuine with no sugar coating.

"It's not a silly goal, it really isn't." She removed her hand and placed it over her own chest. "We've just met and I don't know you very well, sure. But I firmly believe that you'll succeed in whatever you truly set your mind to."

Anna could feel pressure behind her eyes from the sentiment given to her. "How are you so sure?" She muttered under her breath.

Elsa moved her hand from her chest and placed it on Anna's shoulder. "You took my rook in chess." She shrugged.

"I still lost, though."

"But you still made progress right? It's the little victories that really matter." Elsa turned Anna around so that she was looking at her dead in the face with both hands on both shoulders. This jumbled the redhead a little bit as it took her a moment to find her footing. She didn't really know what got into Elsa, but it was totally different from everything she's seen of her so far. "Eventually the little victories will turn to big ones with a little bit of patience and dedication." The blonde shrugged and gave a small smile. "You may even beat me in chess one day."

Anna smiled and met Elsa's gaze again. "You think so?" She couldn't get over her eyes, the more Elsa looked at her the more she felt like she was melting. As if Elsa was looking right through any walls she tried to put up, she saw her as she was. And it didn't help that they were absolutely gorgeous.

Elsa nodded. "Anything is possible."

Anna felt the pressure beneath her eyes get stronger and she knew it wouldn't be long until it would be too much. In front of her was somebody who actually believed in her. Didn't tell her that her dream was silly, or that she needed to rethink her actions. Although she wanted nothing more than to see her succeed, even Rapunzel had her doubts. Anna thrust herself forward and embraced Elsa in a tight hug much to her surprise. She didn't know if Elsa really and truly meant what she said, but she wanted so badly to believe the words that came from her mouth. She shut her eyes tightly as a single tear carved it's way down her cheek and onto Elsa's hoodie. It took her a moment, but Elsa realized what was happening and gingerly placed her hands on Anna's back. Anna felt Elsa's chin rest itself on her head as she hugged tighter. She could feel Elsa's heartbeat quicken along with her breathing. It grew clear to the redhead that she may be growing uncomfortable.

"Thank you." Was all Anna could mutter. "Thank you for believing in me. And thank you for the chocolate last night." She buried herself deeper into Elsa's chest and was greeted with a pleasant, unexpected surprise. She smelt like vanilla. That sweet kind of smell that hits you the moment you walk into an ice cream parlor, and Anna found herself both loving it and finding comfort in it.

"Its... its no problem." Elsa managed to get out as she shifted slightly in Anna's arms. "I uh, I didn't want to just barge in. But I couldn't stand there and do nothing while keeping my conscious intact." Anna felt another tear well up in her eyelid as she blinked and felt it make its way down her face.

"But let me tell you something about boundaries, miss." She said sternly, which caused Anna to back up and wipe the tear from her face.

A quizzical look grew on her face as she cocked an eyebrow. It certainly was an abrupt topic change and it somewhat made Anna nervous. "Yeah?"

"You see, Anna." Elsa started and crossed her arms across her stomach. "There are certain parts of a house that are normally given a certain level of privacy." She brought a hand up and rested it under her chin. "In this case a dorm."

Anna scratched the back of her head, not really understanding where Elsa was going with all of this. In all honesty it slightly scared her. "You mean like the bathroom?" She guessed.

"That wasn't the room I was referring to, but yes like the bathroom." Her tone lightened a bit to Anna's relief. For a moment there she thought she was going to get chewed out. "I'm actually talking about the bedroom, last-"

"Do you mean the sock on the doorknob thing?"

Elsa was taken back and raised an eyebrow. "Sock thing...?"

"Yeah! My cousin's boyfriend told me that sometimes in college, people would put a sock on their doorknob for when they needed privacy!" Anna let loose a small laugh coupled with a little grin.

"What kind of privacy would be implied by a sock on the doorknob?" Elsa asked with confusion painted on her face.

"Y'know..." Anna tried to lead Elsa to the conclusion, but it was clear she wasn't going to catch on to what Anna met. There was actually a lot about college that Eugene had told Anna. He was the type of person who loved to just sit around and share stories and he would often times tell Anna different tales of his time in college. From unsavory activities he took part in before meeting Rapunzel, to how he managed to turn his life around. One of these stories was how he learned the hard way about the sock on the doorknob, he couldn't properly explain how awkward it was to walk into something like that.

"I'm sorry, I don't follow."

With a sigh, Anna touched her thumb with the tip of her index finger to form a circle. With the index finger of her other hand, she stuck it through the circle. "You know.. the frickle frackle."

"Frickle frackle?" Elsa placed her hands on her hips, and grew almost as red as her hoodie when it finally dawned on her as to what Anna meant. "You mean sex?" She said in a strained whisper and widened eyes, as if she was afraid someone would hear her despite the two of them being alone on the sidewalk.

"Well, if you want to put it so bluntly like that." Anna stuck her hands in her pockets and gave a tiny shrug. Elsa appeared flustered as she shook her head and rubbed her temples. It was clear she was embarrassed and Anna couldn't help but smile at the blonde.

"No, Anna I don't mean sex." Anna's shoulders dropped and stared at the concrete below her. She wiggled and flexed her toes to give her something else to focus on other than the abrasive tone in Elsa's voice. "That's absurd and quite frankly disgusting. Do you know the kind of diseases you can get from that?"

Anna pulled her hands out of her pockets and stared up at the cloudless sky as she began counting on her fingers. "Syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes-"

Elsa stuck out her arms and started shaking both her head and hands to get Anna to stop talking. "It was a rhetorical question, I know the kind of diseases you can get from intercourse!" She took a deep breath and ran her hands through her hair before meeting Anna's confused stare. "What I'm trying to say is that while I appreciate the note you left me this morning, I don't appreciate you coming into my room while I was unaware and especially while I was asleep." She stuck her hands in her hoodie and gave a half smile. "Okay?"

Anna honestly didn't mean to barge into her room while Elsa was sleeping. She actually went across the hall shortly after finishing the chocolate and expect her to still be awake, but she wasn't. But Anna knew she had to thank her, and she also knew she would probably forget to if she had fallen asleep before doing so. Instead she opted to leave that note on her nightstand hoping that it would suffice as a proper thanks. Admittedly, she probably spent more time than she should have watching Elsa sleep. The constant and shallow rise and fall of her chest brought a strange comfort to the redhead. "Yeah, okay." She smiled back and the pair continued walking towards their destination which was almost in sight now. "You look adorable when you're sleeping though." Anna commented and brushed her hair back behind her ear. The comment made Elsa physically pause as she nervously coughed and stared at the ground under them. When Anna didn't see the blonde in her peripherals, she turned to head to see that she was lagging behind a bit. And just as red as before. Anna stopped and extended her arm out from her in direction of the large building which was now in sight. "Come on, slow poke! It isn't too much further now, and I'd like to get off of my feet and catch some late breakfast." The comment caused Elsa to jerk her head back up and quickly shuffle back to her spot beside Anna.

The rest of the walk went with hardly a word between the two, it took awhile but Elsa eventually returned to her original skin tone. Upon finally reaching the parking lot of the mall Anna stretched and a breeze ruffled her hair and clothing, taking a moment to herself to enjoy the cool air blowing across her skin. She looked over her shoulder to see Elsa looking down at the ground again, seemingly caught in her own thoughts. Anna turned around and lifted Elsa's head by her chin so that they locked eyes again. "You've been quiet for the past fifteen minutes. What's up?"

Elsa brushed her hand off of her chin and shook her head. "Nothing. What's the plan of attack?"

Anna shrugged off her curiosity and started making her way through the parking lot towards the front door. It was still fairly early, the parking lot was fairly empty and the crowds haven't rushed in yet. "I honestly haven't thought that through. I know what we need, but have no clue what kind of stores are in the mall. It's pretty big though so I think they should have everything."

Elsa nodded in agreement as they made their way through the automatic glass doors. It was even larger on the inside than what Anna first thought. A large clock in the very center read 9:36, they had made it to the mall quicker than what she had assumed. Her stomach grumbled and she was suddenly reminded of just how empty her stomach was. She patted it as if to reassure herself that food was on it's way. "I'm definitely going to hit up that food court first." Anna conveniently found a directory on the wall to her side and found her destination, she started to salivate at the thought of food after the mile walk. She would have stacks of pancakes with the golden deliciousness called butter slowly melting and sliding off the side. The waffles would have very little indention filled with sweet, sweet syrup. Eventually the syrup and butter will meet in the middle of the plate and form a whole new mixture of flavors perfect for a couple links of sausage.

"Wait!" Elsa jutted in, breaking Anna's daydreams of pancakes and waffles as she was about to make her way towards the escalators.

"Yeah?" She called back and turned around to meet Elsa's unsure face. Anna was genuinely glad that she was speaking to her, and although it was very easy to talk to her it always seemed like she was hiding. As if Elsa was encased in a thick shell of ice that can't be broken.

"I think it would be a smart idea to have each others number. This place is pretty big." She said nervously and pulled out her phone.

A smug grin grew across Anna's face. "Already asking for the number, huh? No corny pick up lines?" She joked as Elsa rolled her eyes.

"Would you like one? She said sarcastically with a sigh.

Bolstered with a new found cockiness, Anna leaned up against the wall and raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "As a matter of fact yes I would." She said with a coy smile.

Elsa gave her a look. "Really?"

Anna nodded. "Give it your best shot."

Elsa rolled her eyes again. "I hope you read the menu when you get to the food court. I know I always do."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Anna tried to play it cool as she brushed her knuckles against her shirt and looked off in the distance.

"Because it reads me-n-u." She said sarcastically with a hint of disgust at how bad the joke was, and Anna grew silent. "Get it? Kinda like 'me and you' ?"

The relative silence of the mall was broken with Anna's laughter as it echoed throughout the building. She doubled over and clenched her stomach in between deep breaths as the laughter continued. All the while, Elsa stood there in complete confusion.

Eventually, Anna straightened back up and wiped her eyes. But the moment she saw Elsa standing there with a confused look on her face, she was fighting back more giggles. "That uh, um oh wow." Anna brushed her hair back behind her ear. "That was so bad it was good. I mean I've heard some pretty bad pick up lines before but sheesh, that was uh-" She shrugged. "-anyway, the directory showed there was a Bed Bath and Beyond on the second floor. I think that's where I'll head after I'm finished slaughtering the food court."

The two girls promptly exchanged numbers and Anna mentally awarded herself for how well things have been going so far. She honestly expected Elsa to be completely silent and only offer small comments like she had the night before. Maybe she was just tired, maybe she was just being shy. It didn't really matter to Anna because she was enjoying herself with the blonde. And it certainly helped that she was really pretty, smelled really nice, and had a really calming voice that Anna could listen to for hours on end. And her eyes! Absolutely stunning in every way and she still found herself internally melting whenever their eyes met. And actually pretty easy to get along with. Her skin was really soft too and the icing on the cake was that she was really pretty too!

_Wait, what?_

Anna shook her head and found that Elsa was looking at her with slight concern. She waved her hand to brush it off and smiled at her. "Um, are you hungry? You want me to bring you anything back?" Anna asked as she stuck her phone back in her pocket and patted her other pocket to make sure she didn't forget her wallet back at the dorm. That would have been a hell of a walk that Anna definitely did not want to repeat at that moment.

"No, thank you. Breakfast just doesn't sound appetizing to me this morning." Elsa said and eyed the large clock that sat in the middle of the interior. Anna was actually a little disappointed in Elsa's response, she wouldn't have minded providing a meal for the blonde. She may just bring her a little gift back anyway, Elsa looked like the type who would like a parfait.

"Alright, I'll text you when I'm finishing up and we'll go from there?" She turned and made her way towards the escalator as she heard Elsa agree when she was barely within earshot. Maybe the school year wasn't going to be as bad as she thought. Just because she had a bad run in with Aleks doesn't mean everyone will be that bad. Elsa was different.

Elsa clutched the straps on her purse and eventually made it to the front entrance of Bed Bath and Beyond. She was relieved at how relatively empty the mall was. She definitely wasn't excited for the whole mall idea this morning, but the walk with Anna actually proved to go along fairly well. And if that was an indication for how the rest of the day was going to go, Elsa didn't mind being at the mall.

Although she wasn't a big fan of being left alone. She had wanted Anna to come with her so that she'd be around someone she was at least somewhat familiar with, but she wasn't going to stop her from getting breakfast. She would've went with her and gotten a bite to eat as well, but supplies for the dorm took priority at the moment. The moment Elsa entered the store, her phone went off and she jumped from the sudden vibration. Sliding her hand into her pocket and pulling out the phone, she unlocked the screen to find a text from Aleks.

'Hey, let's hit up breakfast? There isn't shit in these dorms to eat.' _Of course you would be thinking of food first thing in the morning._ Elsa wasn't too sure how to respond though. Being out with somebody she hardly knew was a first for her. And at a mall nonetheless. She wasn't sure how Aleks would react to that, she was already argumentative enough about Elsa even trying to make friends with Anna. But she said it first, the whole college experience was something completely new and it would be good for her. It may have taken her awhile to come around to the idea, but Elsa was more than willing to take advantage of it despite every muscle in her body telling her to run in the other direction and hide under a rock for the rest of her life.

'I'm not at the dorm. Ask your roommate? I'm sure it would be beneficial to befriend her.' She hit send, stuck the phone back in her pocket, and made her way into the store. Quite frankly, she didn't know where to go first as she wandered aimlessly about. _Bedsheets, towels, cooking supplies... dear lord it's like I'm shopping for an apartment. Possibly even a whole house. _Which she more or less was. She was surprised to find the dorm as accommodating as it was. Her parents had always pushed good grades on the twins, and Elsa was glad that being an honors student earned her that amazing dorm. But having to supply some of the most basic supplies was something she couldn't foresee. She really couldn't complain too much though.

"Excuse me miss, can I help you?" The masculine voice came from behind a rack of assorted cooking utensils. Elsa jolted her head up to the man behind the rack wearing the Bed Bath and Beyond uniform, the smile on his face did nothing to calm her rapidly beating heart. She clutched the straps on her purse and felt her palms start to sweat.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" The question was innocent enough, but Elsa could do nothing but frantically look over the store and find an escape. She found her solace in between two shelves which led to a different section of the store and she took no time in finding her way through it leaving a confused employee to shrug it off and walk away. Once she found herself alone again and in the bedroom section. Elsa pulled out her phone to text Anna and ask if she was finished when it buzzed in her hands.

'What do you mean you're not in the dorm? Elsa, are you okay?' Elsa wiped her hands on the back of her jeans and typed out a response.

'I'm alright. Just out getting supplies for the dorm.'

She took a deep breath and resumed her original mission. It was by luck she escaped to the bedroom section of the store, and she soon found shelves stocked to the ceiling with different pillows, bedsheets, and other assorted bedroom items. It wasn't long before she found a suitable set of bedsheets she enjoyed. A simple royal purple, plush and soft to the touch. She brought the fabric to her face and rubbed it on her cheek to get a better feel of it and smiled to herself as she rounded a corner to look for a matching pillow. Eying over the large rack of assorted pillows, she found her prize in the form of a royal purple body pillow about midway up the rack. Elsa extended on her toes to pull out the pillow but fell short when her fingertips barely grazed the ends of the fabric.

"Can I help you with that?" Came the same voice from earlier behind her. Elsa bolted around and shoved her back against the rack in surprise, hitting the back of her head. She gave out a small yelp as she fell to her knees and started rubbing the tender spot underneath her hair. Already a small lump began to form. It was definitely going to bruise.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" He asked as he knelt down and was now eye level with the blonde. Her first instinct again was to get away, but it appeared she was at a disadvantage this time and couldn't. All she could do was nod and hope the man would go away. She didn't care where he went, as long as it wasn't around her. She stumbled her way back to her feet and crossed her arms around her stomach. The man smiled as he extended his arm above Elsa. She saw the man loom over her with his arm reaching over her and her blue eyes grew wide.

She saw her father looming over her, hand held high in a fist. She felt the sharp pain on the side of her face. She saw herself lying on the floor, arms extended in self defense. She felt the grip on the back of her head as she was thrown across the floor. She saw herself try to stand up and run away. She heard her father yell at her in a drunken rage. She felt the bottle breaking as it hit her in the shoulder. She heard Aleks yelling from across the room, begging for him to stop. She heard him threaten her, saying that she was next. She felt another bottle smack her in the calf as she tried to run. She felt the floor under her as she fell, exhausted from fighting. She heard the laugh and insults from her father as he taunted her. She missed her mother.

Elsa was brought back to reality when she was handed the body pillow she couldn't reach. "Here you are, ma'am. Can I help you with anything else?"

Elsa frantically blinked as her eyes shifted around the store, trying to reassure herself everything was alright. She eventually found herself looking at the man in front of her who was handing her the pillow. She accepted it with a shaking hand as she thanked the man under her breath as she tucked it under her arm along with the bedsheets as the man walked off. Her phone vibrating in her pocket was the last thing she needed to bring all of her senses back.

'...alright. I guess I'll go get something to eat by myself. I'll catch you later.' She was about to respond to her sister's text when her phone went off again this time from Anna.

'Where are you? I have a surprise!' _Oh, that certainly can't be good. _

'Bed Bath and Beyond. I'll be in the bathroom section by the time you arrive.' She hit send and attempted to collect herself as she took several large breaths. Everything was okay. She was older, she wasn't in that God forsaken house. She was a college student currently shopping for her dorm. Elsa gave the store one last look around as she began walking towards the bathroom section. _I have a pillow and blankets now. Once I pick up some towels, I'll-_

"Hi!"

Elsa shrieked as she dropped her belongings and stumbled back, nearly in tears from the sudden startle. Anna stood in front of her, large smile on her face as she held a parfait in one hand and appeared to be holding a handle of sorts in the other. "Anna, what the hell?" She cursed as she picked up her belongings and gave the redhead a stern look, clearly displeased.

"I'm sorry, Elsa. I didn't mean to surprise you." She extended her arm and offered the parfait to Elsa. "But I got you this! It's honestly the least I can do for the chocolate last night." She smiled again, and the blonde couldn't help but return the gesture from how dorky the redhead looked at the moment.

Elsa eyed Anna, then the parfait. Then Anna again as her stomach made an audible growl that felt like it should have echoed throughout the entire mall. Okay, so maybe she was a little hungrier than she thought. The redhead tried to fight back giggles from the noise but failed as Elsa felt herself flush and heat spread across her face. She slowly took the treat from Anna and unwrapped the spoon. "Thank you. But you didn't have to. Honestly." She said as the redhead waved the comment off.

"I wanted to." She said with a happy tone as Elsa took a bite of the mixed berry and yogurt goodness. Elsa eyed the handle Anna had a hold of and pointed towards it.

"What's that?" Elsa asked as she tried to look around the redhead and catch a glimpse.

"Oh!" Anna exclaimed as she moved to the side revealing a plastic blue wagon with the Toys 'R' Us sticker still attached. "When I finished eating, I realized that we didn't have a way to bring everything back with us! And I don't know about you but I definitely didn't want to carry it all back. So, I stopped by Toys 'R' Us and picked us up this bad boy!" She was nearly bouncing from how excited she was about this plastic wagon.

"We're going to look silly walking through town with a plastic wagon full of bags..." Elsa stated, trying to be serious but wasn't able to keep a half smile from tugging on her lips as she stuck another spoonful in her mouth. She was grateful Anna took the time to think of her and buy her the small snack, and her stomach was even more grateful.

The redhead waved the comment off again. "Come on, it'll be fun!" She reached over and took the pillow and bedsheets right from Elsa before she could rebut and stuck them in the wagon. Although extremely silly and childish, she was glad that they wouldn't have to carry everything by hand with them for the mile long walk back to the campus. "Elsa?" The blonde looked up at the redhead with expectant eyes. "You have a little..." Elsa raised an eyebrow as Anna ran her thumb across her top lip, indicating she had some of her parfait there that missed her mouth. Elsa stuck out her tongue in an attempt to get it, but it was clear from the look on Anna's face that she was failing. Without warning, Anna shot her arm out and wiped the yogurt from Elsa's lip with her thumb and stuck it in her own mouth.

"This is actually pretty good! I need to try one someday." Anna commented as Elsa stood there in silence and felt heat spread across her face again. She knew she had to be as red as her hoodie. That was weird and totally unexpected. She continued to stand with widened eyes as Anna waved her hands in front of her.

"Yo, Earth to Elsa! We still need to get bathroom and kitchen stuff."

Elsa blinked as she was brought back to reality, and again without warning Anna grabbed her by the wrist and was now dragging her off to another section of the store. "Anna, slow down!" Elsa shouted and barely had the time to grab the handle of the wagon as she was being pulled throughout the store.

"Can't! Places to be, things to do! More importantly, kitchenware to buy!" She shouted back.

Elsa couldn't help but find herself smiling at how childlike Anna was. Although she was ditzy, she was fun. And Elsa liked it.


	9. Little Victories

**A/N:** First and foremost, sorry for such a long delay on this chapter! Took a ten day move across the country, and I literally just got internet access a few hours ago.

But, I was able to write a little bit to keep busy and I hope this chapter makes up for it. I'm actually a little nervous posting this one because it's been a long while since I've written 'saucy' material and never have I done it in third person. But I thought it was a little overdo.

But without further adieu, I hope you all enjoy! And constructive criticism is always welcome!

* * *

"Elsa! Aleksandra! Come downstairs if you will, please!" The masculine voice was but an echo through the halls of the manor, bouncing off the wooden floors. By the time it reached Elsa's ears, it was reduced but a small whisper. But she knew that voice, stern and robust. It ripped her attention from the puzzle that currently held her attention. Her ears perked up and a smile grew across her small mouth as she stumbled to her feet and ran from her room and down the hall. The small pitter patter of the feet of a child the only noise throughout the spacious halls. Windows filled the halls with dying light from the setting sun outside, and various paintings lined the walls. They all became a blur as Elsa ran towards her destination. As she rounded a corner, she stumbled and nearly crashed into the large door.

_Knock knock knock_

No answer. Goosebumps grew across Elsa's skin as she placed her ear up to the cool wooden door. Her eyes widened as she heard a familiar snoring on the other side of the door. She turned the knob and burst into the room to find her twin leaned up against the bedpost snoring. How she managed to fall asleep in that position was beyond Elsa, she just shook her head as she walked up to Aleks.

"Psst, Aleks!" Elsa poked her sister on the cheek to try and wake her. She shot back when Aleks rose a hand to scratch the place her sister poked before letting her arm fall to her side and resume snoring. A smug grin grew across the blonde's face as she walked back to the doorway and extended her palm. A decently sized snowball grew in her palm, and when she was satisfied with the size she threw it up and caught it a couple times to gauge the weight. She rubbed the snowball in her small hands as she looked up at the still snoring girl roughly ten feet in front of her. She cocked her arm back and threw the snowball with all her might, causing a small explosion of snow to erupt when it found it's target. Dead center on the side of Aleks' face.

Aleks was knocked onto the floor and shook her head to try and regain any kind of sense that may have been knocked from her, ears still ringing. When she came back to reality she saw Elsa standing in her doorway, doubled over in laughter. She couldn't help but laugh herself. "I'm gonna get you!" She screamed as she scrambled to her feet and sent several small snowballs hurling towards the blonde. Every one of them missed and hit the wall behind her as Elsa dashed away.

"Race you downstairs!" Elsa challenged and rounded another corner away from her sister. She looked back to see Aleks stumbling behind her obviously still trying to wake up. Elsa was sure of her victory by the time she reached the large spiral staircase that seemed to go down for eons, illuminated only by a large chandelier that hung on the ceiling in the direct center. She leaned over the banister to catch her breath for a moment before she lost it from a rush of cold air. She looked over the banister to see Aleks flying down at inhuman speeds, a trail of solid ice behind her. "Oh that's so unfair!" Elsa yelled as she jumped onto the trail of ice left by her twin, stumbling a little bit she found her center of balance. Her vision was blurred as she picked up speed, paintings on the wall all blended into each other as she made her way down the staircase. The faint giggling of her twin echoing from far below her. Not one to lose, she extended her arms behind her and gave herself more speed from the steady stream of icy air propelling her even faster. She never even saw the end of the staircase as she ran straight into her twin, sending them both flying across the foyer as the air was knocked out of her. Everything was a blur, and all she could hear was Aleks' giggling. She braced herself for impact as she held on to her sister for dear life, but their fall was broken by a large snow pile newly formed against the stained glass of the front door. The brisk cold of the snow sending chills across Elsa's skin.

"Girls!" Their father exclaimed in panic as he rushed towards the large snow pile, and the worried expression on his face was replaced with relief as the twins popped out of the pile in hysterics.

Aleks was the first to speak, brushing snow from her short black hair. "What's up, pops?" She stumbled when she tried to push herself from the pile, only to be caught by her father before landing flat on her face. Elsa was a little more graceful in coming out of the snow, flattening her dress and brushing snow off of her legs. She stood beside her sister and in front of their father with her arms crossed at the wrist.

Their father scratched the back of his head and slumped his shoulders in relief. "Girls, your mother and I have something to tell you." He stuck his hands in his pockets as a slender woman came up from behind him and wrapped her arms around his. She looked up to her husband with tender eyes and smiled when he turned to place a kiss on her forehead. "We won't be around for the next week or so." He said calmly.

"You both know your father has been busy with political affairs as of late. And I have been stuck in the office for days on end." She commented, leaving her husband's arm to kneel in front of the twins. She looked both of them over and took both of their hands in her own. "Your father and I are going on a European cruise, sort of a little vacation." She smiled and brought the girls in for a hug.

Aleks broke free from the hug and crossed her arms, pouting from obvious discontent. "You aren't bringing us with you?"

"Your father and I just need to break away from everything for awhile, Aleksandra. It won't be long, I promise. You'll have Edgar to watch over you two." She gave a warm smile and stood back up to be joined by her husband who strode to her side. "We expect your best behavior while we're gone." He added sternly.

"You mean we're stuck with old pickle puss Edgar?" Aleks groaned.

Their father stifled a chuckle before kneeling down to eye level with his daughters. "He's been close with the family since you two were born. Just be careful with the powers, he doesn't know about them."

Aleks clenched her hands a couple times before smiling and shrugging. "We know, we'll keep it to ourselves. Promise!" She brought her hand up to her forehead in a military salute and giggled when her father tousled her short hair.

"Do you have to go?" The question was meek and strained as Elsa stared at the floor under her. She gave a small sniffle and raised a shaking hand to wipe a tear from her eye.

Her mother took no time to kneel down to her level and embrace her in a close hug. "You'll be alright, Elsa." The hug grew as their father and eventually Aleks extended her arms to complete the group hug.

"We love you both. Very much, we'll be back before you know it." The reassuring tone from her father brought a smile to Elsa's face as she held onto her mother for the last time.

* * *

Elsa awoke to find herself alone in her room. She threw the blankets off of her as she wiped sweat off of her forehead, and dried tears from her cheeks. Sunlight shining through the window caused her to squint as she made sense of her surroundings. Nearly a week after moving into the dorm, it still took her a moment to realize where she was. After remembering where she was, her mind wandered to her dream she had just woken from. Fresh tears began to well in her eyelids as she cradled her face in her hands and a sob escaped her throat.

* * *

Anna rolled over on her back and swept away a strand of hair that had found its way into her mouth. She slowly opened her eyes as she stared back at herself from the mirror that was now hung up on the wall in front of her. Rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms, she yawned and put herself into a deep stretch before quickly curling into her self on her side when she felt the uncomfortable wetness between her thighs. The redhead bit her finger as a smug grin grew into her face as she grabbed the waistband of her pajama pants. Pulling on the waistband, she bit down on her finger and let out a soft mewl as she seam of her pants was pushed against her clit. She involuntarily pushed herself into the taut seam and felt a wave of warmth and pleasure surge down to her privates. She wanted more, and a kind of hunger formed in her as she let go of the waistband and slipped her fingertips past it. Grabbing the waistband of her panties, she gripped the fabric and pulled it towards her. Biting her finger to stop herself from moaning, she rode the pleasure across her body from the pressure on the bundle of nerves. It still wasn't enough. She moved the fabric away from her core and hastily jammed a finger inside of herself, her mouth hung open in pleasure as she felt her digit push its way deeper and she clenched around it. The heel of her palm found her clit and before long she fell into a comfortable rhythm, edging herself closer and closer to a release. Every time she felt herself get closer she would stop all together and hang on the edge of the orgasm. It was wonderfully torturous, and she wouldn't give herself the satisfaction of release. Clutching at the fabric of her bedsheets, she let out a soft whimper every time she'd edge closer. Her clothes felt like a prison as her skin grew warmer, causing the fabric to stick to her skin.

Just when the teasing was becoming unbearable, Anna stopped. She pulled her hand from her waistband and brought it up to her face, fingers still slick from her arousal. The tip of her tongue traveled from her wrist to the tip of her middle finger and she bit her lip, enjoying her own juices and clenched her thighs still begging for release. She took a moment to collect herself before standing on shaky knees. Taking a deep breath, she placed her hands on her hips and bent backwards. After a satisfying crack, she made her way to the door only to crash her forehead into Elsa's in the doorway.

There was a ring in her ears as the sharp pain traveled down her spine and she rubbed her tender forehead. "I'm sorry, Elsa. I should have watched where I was going." Anna opened her eyes to find the blonde staring at her with an unreadable expression. The redhead perked up as she frantically looked around her, and felt relief when all seemed normal. "What's wrong?"

"Your face is awfully red." Elsa sounded concerned as she placed the back of her hand on her forehead. It was unnaturally cool, and felt heavenly to the redhead. "And you're burning up."

Anna backed up and nervously laughed, trying to conceal her embarrassment. "I sweat a lot when I sleep and it's a little awkward sometimes. I mean when I say a little it's actually a lot of awkward because sometimes I'll literally wake up in like a puddle and I'll have to wash my sheets and sometimes there isn't any detergent so I'll have to walk on down to the grocery store and pick up some detergent to wash my sweaty sheets." She hoped her lying though out all of the rambling would satisfy Elsa who was now trying to hold back a smile. "Yup." She finished and shrugged.

It was then Anna noticed what she was wearing. A lavender flutter sleeved top which showed just the right amount of cleavage that Anna found herself staring at a little too long and fit her slender form perfectly. Light wash skinny jeans looked like they were formed around her legs instead of forming her legs. The outfit was completed by lavender Toms.

"Wow, Elsa." Anna was taken back from the change of appearance in her roommate. "You look different. It's a good different!" She corrected and beamed at the blonde. Anna noticed she was sporting the same lavender eyeshadow and she thought she saw a hint of eyeliner on her. Her hair was out of it's normal braid and fell over her shoulders and down her back in luxurious golden waves. "I've always seen you in that red hoodie. What gives?"

Elsa appeared flushed as she gave a small shrug. "It's the first day of classes, so I-"

Anna tuned the blonde out as she kept staring, the more she went over the blonde the more small details she found. The redhead was surprised when she found a light dusting of freckles across Elsa's cheeks so light that she had never noticed them before. And was that lip gloss? _Is it flavored? What flavor lip gloss would Elsa wear? She looks like the type to wear a nice strawberry kiwi. Or maybe a simple cherry. What if its something odd like pina colada? _

"-took me an hour just to decide on the shoes. You don't think it's too much, do you?" Anna was brought back to reality and found Elsa nervously rubbing her hands together.

"Nonononono, no. Of course not!" Anna reached out and curled a blonde lock with her finger. Even her hair seemed to have an air of coolness around it. "Elsa, you're very-" _Sexy! _"-pretty!" Anna felt a warmth of confidence grow in her when she saw Elsa drop her shoulders in relief. But then suddenly started feeling inferior in her pajamas.

"Uh, how about I get a shower and we hit up some breakfast?" Anna only took a step before swiveling back to the blonde. "When is your first class?"

"Eight. So, thirty minutes or so. But I actually have plans with my sister, so I'll see you when we both get back to the dorm?" She asked, and Anna actually felt a tinge of sadness being unable to share the morning with the blonde.

"Works for me. How could you schedule a class so early? My first class doesn't even start until eleven." The question kind of answered itself when Anna remembered Elsa was up hours before her most days the past week. She shook her head and bid goodbye to the blonde as she entered the bathroom while contemplating what to do with her time until classes started. Maybe she would see if Rapunzel was available for breakfast. It took her no time to strip out of her clothes and turned to the mirror as she began to undo her braids. What Elsa said was true, she was extremely red and felt warm from her prior playing with herself. She was red all the way down to her toes, which did nothing but accent the freckles that were dusted across her shoulders and covered most of her breasts. But she definitely did not expect to run into her so early.

She turned the knob and started the shower and unknowingly stepped into the cold water. Her skin was still sensitive and every drop felt like ice which reminded her just how uncomfortably hot she was between her legs. The shock caused her to drop to her knees as she shoved her hands into her crotch and covered her vagina which was a stark contrast to the freezing water of the shower. Her jaw unclenched as the water began to warm up and steam filled the bathroom. She was still on her knees and found it hard to breathe from wet copper strands in her face and the thickness of the steam. The water now began to burn as it traveled down her back from her scalp. She felt her clit twitch under her palm and gasped when she put pressure on it. Humid air entered her lungs as she gasped for breath from the shock of pleasure that spread across her body when she began rubbing the twitching clitoris. She braced herself against the knob and turned it, the moment the cold water returned and ran its way down her burning back she felt herself edge closer to release. Her mind went blank as the only thing she could think of was the icy water on her skin that ran down her face. She thrust her head back and let out a high pitched moan when the water hit her neck, down her breasts and stomach. The cold water reminded her of how cool Elsa's hand was against her forehead and even the coolness she felt from her hair. She wondered how those chilled fingers would feel inside her, and the thought instantly pushed Anna over the edge to an orgasm. She slid two fingers inside of her and rode it out as long as she could, muscles twitching wherever the cold water hit, mouth agape in pleasure. She arched forward and started bucking her hips as the pleasure started to fade. When she finally finished, she brushed the hair out of her face and fell onto her back. The water was still cold, but she just felt numb of all physical feeling but still twitching from small aftershocks from the orgasm. When her mind cleared and she was able to think again, she came upon a realization.

_I think I have a crush on Elsa._

* * *

"Elsa, what are you wearing?" There was a tone in Aleks' voice that was reminiscent of shock, maybe even a little disappointment that Elsa picked up on.

She shrugged and adjusted the straps of her purse on her shoulder. "It's the first day of classes and I wanted to make a good first impression." A combination of her sister's stare and the humidity in the air made her uncomfortable. It was just like the first day they arrived in town, and although she didn't feel as sticky and gross as she would wearing a hoodie, she was already looking forward to entering an air conditioned building. And if it was this bad this early, she could only imagine how bad it would be come the hottest hours of the day. "Does it look bad?"

Aleks placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. "No, that's not what I'm trying to say. It's just..." She scratched the back of her head trying to find the right words. "Different than what I'm used to seeing you in, but then again I haven't seen much of you at all since we got here." Which was true, after dinner on that first day the twins had hardly seen each other. Elsa had always been busy either setting up the dorm or out with Anna somewhere, and even Aleks was out a lot of the time exploring the campus.

"I'm sorry, Anna has actually kept me fairly busy the past few days. Like yesterday she thought it would be a good idea to beat the heat with some ice cream at a local place just down the street."

Aleks rolled her eyes and playfully punched Elsa in the arm. "It's no biggie, I'm actually sort of glad you're getting along with little miss carrot top."

Elsa rubbed her arm and gave a small chuckle. "And how has it been going with your roommate? What was her name? Pokemon?" A small smile formed on her lips.

"Actually her name is Pocahontas. Go figure, I thought Pokemon would have been cooler." She shrugged as she started making her way towards one of the smaller buildings next to the main office. Elsa caught up with her sister and was relieved when a small breeze rustled the trees around the sidewalk. The breeze caught couple browned leaves, ripping them right off of the branches. It wouldn't be long now before the season started to slowly change and hopefully rid the town of the dreaded heat.

"Well, are you two getting along?" Elsa asked nervously, she knew how well her sister played with others.

"I guess." Aleks shrugged. "We kinda just stay to ourselves. She's really, like really weird though."

"What do you mean?"

"She kinda talks to herself at times. And when we're both not in the dorm, I'll see her walking around all the trees and it looks like she talks to them too."

Elsa let out a soft giggle. "Maybe she's just one with nature."

"Or maybe she's bat shit crazy." Aleks shook her head and let out a sigh. "I guess it could be worse, though."

"I bet she'd be a really nice person if you try talking to her." She stated, although honestly Elsa had no idea if she would be. But if her sister's experience with roommates was going to be anything like hers then she could at least assume she would be a nice person.

Aleks scoffed, shook her head, and stuck her hands in her pockets. "What makes you so sure?"

"Well" Elsa started, although not sure how to finish her thought. "She knows to steer clear of you. Therefore at the very least she's smart right?" Proud of herself, the blonde couldn't help but smile.

A small chuckle came out of Aleks as they entered the double glass doors of a smaller building next to the larger main one. The air conditioning was an instant blessing on Elsa's skin as she could just feel the sticky feeling from the humidity peel off of her. They stood in front of a pair of staircases as a number of people made their way up and down them. There wasn't a lot, but it was enough to make Elsa feel uncomfortable. She wondered how many of them were nice people, but how many of them only wore the mask. How many of them would be just as likely to push her down as they would be to help her up. She was brought back from her thoughts when Aleks nudged her.

"Where's your first class? I'll go with you." She sounded concerned, as if she knew exactly what Elsa was feeling.

She shook her head and stammered to find the words, continually casting glimpses at the stairs while trying to maintain eye contact with her sister. "N-no, it's uh-" She took a deep breath and felt her palms start to clam up. "I need to learn to be independent."

Aleks raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, that was a statement from her twin she definitely did not expect to hear. "It's only been a few days and you're ready to take that big of a step?"

Elsa lowered her head and gave a tiny, unsure shrug. "Am I ready? No." She turned her head to look again at the staircase which only seemed to grow more populated as she stood there waiting. "But I've got to start somewhere." She remembered the conversation she had with Anna the day they went to the mall. How she kind of broke down right in front of her, and she had absolutely no clue how to react. "But it's the small victories that count, right?" She looked towards her sister who was smiling with glossy eyes.

"Your girlfriend teach that to you?" She tried to lighten the mood with the joke, but Elsa didn't really find the humor.

"Girlfriend?" She scoffed. Sure, at this point she was willing to call Anna a friend of hers. But she still didn't know her real well, and quite honestly she felt a little insulted that Aleks would assume that about her. They may have not spoken much over the past few days, but she definitely would have told her if she started to form some attraction to anyone. "I've never even had a boyfriend, or any significant other for that matter. You know that as well as I do." She stated sternly, trying to get the message through to her sister that she felt insulted.

"I know, I'm playing around. I don't even think you experience attraction at all." She laughed again and scratched her chin. "At least not to boys." A smug grin grew on her face. "I've heard you call girls pretty, but never once have I ever heard you call a boy cute."

Elsa wanted to crawl in a hole, everything Aleks said was the truth. She had never commented on a guy's appearance, but would often call different women pretty during the gossip between the two. "What are you trying to say?" She clutched at her purse straps as the air around her suddenly began to feel suffocating despite the coolness of the room. "Just because I didn't ogle at Phillip like you did all the time?"

"Hey!" A blush grew across Aleks' face as she grew flustered. "He was a hunk!" She scoffed and shook her head. "Too bad that bitch Aurora got to her first."

"He was afraid of you after you tore the extensions right out of Drizella's hair! " Elsa laughed as Aleks grew more frustrated and waved her sister off.

"Whatever. I'll see you later if your girlfriend doesn't get to you first." There was a humor in her voice as she punched Elsa in the shoulder again and made her way down the stairs.

Deciding to act while her spirits were still up from spending time with her sister, Elsa had tunnel vision as she made her way up the stairs with little issue. When she reached the third floor, she was relieved to find the hall practically empty and grew even more relived when she saw her classroom right across from her. Timidly entering the classroom, rows of desks were laid out in front of her in tiers as the sound of students chatting with each other nearly deafened her. She ducked her head down as she shuffled into the first available seat she could find which happened to be in the very back on the top row. Just as she placed her purse down beside her she jumped when she felt a nudge on her arm. She shot her gaze over to meet a smiling brunette's.

"Hey! I love your hair, I've always wanted to try the blonde thing." She was nearly shouting to be heard over the chattering in the room.

Elsa shuffled in her seat and honestly wanted to run and hide under a rock. But bolstered by her own desire to be social and how well her experiences with Anna has been, she found it fairly easy to find the confidence to speak to the girl beside her. "Thank you, I-" She was cut off when the room suddenly grew deathly silent. Looking towards the front of the class, a tall man strode into the room and stopped at the lectern.

"Name's Hades, calculus one teacher. How are you all doing?" He spoke with a cocky sort of confidence but Elsa was more distracted by the man's chin which seemed to take up over half of his face which he could probably knock someone out with if he wasn't careful. She was torn from her thoughts again by another nudge from the girl beside her.

"By the way, my name is Rapunzel."


	10. Secrets Revealed

**A/N:** First off, I'd like to draw your attention to the fancy new cover image that was wonderfully drawn by a good friend of mine. Of her own free will, too! I posted her tumblr on my profile, drop on by and tell her to draw something.

This is the longest chapter yet at over 9000 words, and I'd like to start lengthening the chapters to about this length instead of the normal 4-5k. It's a very important chapter as well! And we're just getting started, if all goes as planned this is going to be a pretty long fic.

**TRIGGER WARNING!:** A couple paragraphs pertaining to child abuse are on the lower half of the chapter, be wary of that.

I'd like to thank you all for your continued support and nice comments. Y'all are awesome.

Enjoy!

* * *

"And thus concludes day one. Remember to look over the syllabus! There will be a short quiz on it at the end of the week."

And with that, Aleks couldn't get out of the door quick enough. It took everything she had to not fall asleep during the hour and a half lecture on if a chair really was a chair. Why she decided to take philosophy as an elective was beyond her. She figured it would be a free period to sit around and just think about stuff, but if she was going to be thinking about what a chair really is then it was going to be a long semester. Her first thought was instantly to find Elsa and make sure she was alright on her own. She had gone down the stairs and didn't see her sister follow her, which meant she must have went up the stairs. Figuring she would eventually have to come down the same stairs, Aleks made her way back up the stairs and leaned against an adjacent window. She had awhile before her next class, so she could wait.

And wait she did. Seconds turned to minutes, and before she knew it a half hour had passed. Many people had made their way up and down the stairs, but none of them were Elsa.

_Maybe she just scheduled two classes right next to each other._ She pulled out her phone and checked the time, by this time classes had to have started back up again. _But there still should have been a little time allotted to walk to her next class. _She leaned her head against the window and sighed. It really didn't surprise her that she would go without seeing Elsa, they had hardly seen each other the past few days. Although Aleks really couldn't complain, the way Elsa explained it she made it out to appear she was having a genuinely good time with Anna.

_Anna._

The girl she had punched in the face for surprising her. The girl she verbally assaulted and caused her to break down right in front of her. She wasn't ashamed, it surely wasn't the first time she had to lay down the law. But the look in her eyes was something Aleks hadn't seen before; suffering. Perhaps even as far to say anguish. As if every word she said was an arrow hitting a bulls eye. But maybe it would be best to apologize to the redhead. If Elsa made friends with her, it would naturally be in her best interest to be on decent terms with her. But something told Aleks that Anna wasn't exactly ready to talk to her. She wasn't going to go out of her way to apologize to the girl, but it would be something she'd consider if they happen to run into each other anytime soon. She was genuinely proud of her sister, though. It was completely unlike her to walk up a crowded stairway by herself. Maybe the whole college experience was exactly what she needed to bring her out of that shell. Although it did make Aleks a little jealous and lonely at times. Elsa was not only her only sister, but her only friend as well.

Figuring Elsa wasn't going to make it down this way, Aleks sighed again and made her way back down the stairs. She still had awhile until her next class, but she spied a vending machine on the lower floor earlier and fancied something sweet from it. The thought nearly enough to make her drool until she collided with someone and nearly knocked the wind out of her. After she regained her bearings, she saw a man sitting on the floor surrounded with papers that were knocked from his hands from the impact.

"Mind watching where the hell you're going, dipshit?" She said aggressively and crossed her arms while she watched the man scramble to pick up the paper that were strewn about.

"I should say the same to you, asswipe." He retorted as he picked up the last sheet of paper and stuck it in his bag, he rose to his feet and the two made eye contact. His green eyes boring into her own blue, he was nearly scowling with a raised eyebrow as he looked Aleks up and down. "The fuck are you staring at?"

Aleks shook her head and let out a small chuckle. "Dude, your sideburns look like shit."

He offered his own small laugh and softened his expression slightly. "Did you take your inspiration for your hair from an onion?"

"Cargo shorts? Are we in kindergarten or something?" She pointed towards his beige cargo shorts and covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"I should ask you the same with that headband." His retort came instantly and caught Aleks off guard, she didn't expect that.

"Hey, you have a cute man purse at least." She shrugged and the man adjusted the single strap over his shoulder and patted the black bag Aleks was referencing to.

Not having another witty retort, he extended his hand and admitted defeat to Aleks. "Hans Westerguard. I'd say it is a pleasure to meet you..." He looked the girl up and down again. "But quite frankly you're a bitch." He offered a small smile as Aleks shook the man's hand and offered her own smile.

"Westerguard? Never heard of that house." She scratched the back of her head, rubbed her chin, and appeared to be lost in thought. "Are you after the throne too or are you one of Joffrey's lapdogs?" She said mockingly with a large smile. "Aleks Delle."

Hans let out a long, fake, drawn out laugh. "Like I've never heard the Game of Thrones joke before." He shrugged and gave a coy grin. "But hey, I'll let you know if I have a problem with my laptop. It's a Samsung though so you may not know anything." The comment caused Aleks to roll her eyes. Hans ran his hand through his dark red hair and checked his wrist watch. "Well I have places to be and I assume you have to go down to the kitchen to find inspiration for a different hairstyle." He gave a small chuckle as he made his way past Aleks and up the stairs, but not without bumping into the girl first.

She shook her head and a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she made her way down the hallway and stood in front of the vending machine. Depositing a dollar and retrieving the small bag of chips she felt a familiar buzz in her back pocket. Pulling out her phone, she was surprised to find a text from Elsa.

'How long can this man go on about chairs?' The text caused Aleks to audibly let out a loud laugh as she realized Elsa was in the same class she just got out of. She was about to type out a response when it hit her. _That class is on the lower floor._ She scrambled to turn around and dashed to the door her class was previously held in. Looking through the small window, the classroom was totally empty and the lights were even off. _The fuck? _She pulled out her phone and hastily sent out a reply. 'For about an hour and a half so get comfortable. Hey, what room is that class in?' It was also unlike Elsa to text during class considering how studious she was and how serious she took her education. And it wasn't long before she received a response.

'301c. Why?' She glared at her phone, that was the third floor. But she just got out of that same class not too long ago. Do professors change classrooms? Is that a thing? 'I just got out of that class but it was held on the lower floor.' She stuffed her phone back in her pocket and dashed her way up the stairs. It wasn't that she didn't believe Elsa, but she found it odd that a professor would just change rooms like that, and she grew worried. When she reached the landing between the second and third floor, history repeated itself and she collided with another body.

"Ay! Got me right in the noggin'." The redhead on the floor rubbed her forehead and winced. "Gonna leave a nice bruise that one will." She spoke with an obnoxious accent which annoyed Aleks more than Anna's rambling. But her hair is what grabbed Aleks' attention which looked like it's never seen a brush in it's life. Long, frizzed curls were spread about the ground over the pale woman's face.

"Apparently nobody watches where the hell they're going in this school." She rolled her eyes as she watched the woman rise to her feet and brush off her pants.

"What do ye' mean?" The accent only grew more obnoxious as she spoke.

"I've already ran into another dumbass today. I wonder if there will be a third." She went to walk around the redhead but was stopped when she outstretched her arm. "What's your problem?"

"My problem is that ye' already insulted me." She grew more serious and glared at Aleks from the corner of her eye. "And I'll let ye' know that I'm certainly not a pushover."

Aleks rolled her eyes again and returned the glare as if a challenge was issue. She coughed and insultingly mocked her accent. "Certainly not a pushover but that still makes ye' a dumbass." The shocked look on the redhead's face meant it was working. "Now run along now little lassie before ye' get ye' little tail beat." She gave a smug grin and shoved the girl out of her way. But before she knew it, the back of her head was slammed against a large window with an iron grip around her throat. She ignored the ringing in her ears and managed to open her eyes to see the redhead with her fist cocked back and gritted teeth.

"I woulda let ye' get away with callin' me what ye' called me." She leaned in a little closer to Aleks. Close enough that she caught a small sniff of the girls woodsy scent and spotted the light freckles that sprinkled her rosy cheeks. "But nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody mocks Merida Dunbroch in that manner and walks away scot-free!" There was a tone in her voice brought chills down her spine, but she still managed a coarse laugh.

"Well, I hope you don't fight like you talk. That would truly be hilarious." She mocked again, raised her leg, and with a great push she kicked the girl in the stomach. But the grip on her throat didn't lessen, and when Merida was pushed back, Aleks was pulled forward against her will. Before she had time to react, she felt the girl slam her elbow into the back of her neck and the fell onto the cold floor face first. The ringing in her ears prevented her from hearing whatever Merida was saying, but if she had to guess it was probably an insult. She opened her eyes to see the young woman start to walk away, but Aleks had no intention of being made a fool of. Scrambling to her feet and extending her arm, she froze the ground underneath Merida's feet right at the top of the stairs. Before she had time to process what was happening, she was soon barreling down the stairs and a sick satisfaction grew in Aleks when she saw the redhead skid across the floor on her face.

"Oh dear, lassie." She continued in the same mocking tone which caused the scuffle in the first place. "Ye' really should watch where ye' put ye' clodhoppers!" She gave a triumphant laugh as she continued on with her original goal of finding Elsa. Ascending from the last stair, she made her way down the row of doors and the classes being held in them until she found the room mentioned in her sister's text. Gazing into the room, it didn't take her long to find her sister in the back row, eyes buried in a notebook presumably taking notes. She let out a sigh of relief and let out a small chuckle at herself for being worried about her. Already Elsa had grown from the shy, reserved, anti-social girl Aleks always known her as. She still had a long way to go to being a social butterfly, but she was on her way. Aleks turned to make her way back down the stairs, and nearly yelped when she found someone standing behind her.

"It hasn't even been fifteen minutes and you beat a poor girl senseless? Crazy bitch." The man sounded amused and shook his head. "You're lucky it was only Merida and not anyone real important."

"The fuck do you know about any of that, Hans?" She spat and jammed a finger in this chest. She wasn't sure if she was legitimately angry or just putting on a show, but the mention of Merida's name was enough to set a small fire in her stomach.

"I know I saw a poor little lass out cold on the floor with a bloody nose." He replied in a snark manner and shrugged. "Like I said, nobody important. She's just an irrelevant immigrant."

"She started it." Aleks rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, not impressed with how smug the man across from her appeared. She wasn't exactly lying though, Merida was the one that made the first violent contact.

"I didn't ask who started it, and quite frankly I don't give a shit." He gave an annoying little pretentious laugh and shrugged again. "All I know is that she probably won't be getting up anytime soon."

"Where the fuck are you trying to go with all this? So she fell down the stairs, big whoop." She threw her hands up in front of her to further accentuate her point and tried to walk away, only to be stopped when Hans stepped in front of her.

"My point is, she's just been a pain in my side and now I don't think I'll see her around much anymore." A cocky grin grew across his lips as he outstretched his arms. "So, I thought I'd congratulate you." He clapped his hands together and rubbed them, never losing the smug grin. "I'd like to treat you to dinner later this evening."

"Are you trying to ask me out?" She scoffed and waved the man off and went to walk away only to be stopped again. "Will you get the fu-"

"My treat."

"What time?"

* * *

Elsa made her way down the crowded staircase, she didn't have another class for a couple hours and she wanted to find a nice quiet study hall to settle down in and relax after sitting through a tediously long lecture about whether a chair is really a chair. Her crowded mind was enough to keep her attention off of the people shuffling around her and she didn't even realize she wasn't alone on the stairwell. She made her way down the rows of classrooms when her mind suddenly shifted to Anna.

She hadn't seen her since the morning when she came out of her room all flushed and sweaty, and she grew slightly worried about her new friend. For the past few days, they had nearly spent every waking moment together. Although Elsa was still wary of her, she allowed herself the luxury of trying to have fun around the girl.

Elsa eventually made her way to the small room filled with little more than small round tables. She found her own in a secluded table and pulled out her phone. Aleks had texted her earlier and she hasn't heard anything back from her since the class started. A part of her grew worried about her twin, but she knew what her twin was capable of. And knowing Aleks, she probably got preoccupied with food in one way or another.

She had just pulled out her notebook and turned to a recent page of her notes when the door swung open and two figures walked in. One appeared to be hobbling and leaning on the shoulder of the other, and upon closer inspection Elsa found that Rapunzel was the one being leaned on. Elsa had only met the girl briefly during her first class, but the situation piqued her interest and she stood from her table and waved the girl over to her without a second thought. Elsa pulled out a chair when Rapunzel came closer, and she sat the hobbling girl down, who promptly slumped over and thumped her head on the table, and nodded a silent thanks to Elsa as she pulled out her own chair. When Elsa sat back down she saw the face of the injured woman sitting across from her, her entire face was swollen. Dried blood was caked from her nostrils to halfway down her neck. Some of her long and curly hair was matted to the sides of her face and appeared to be stuck on with dried blood. It was slightly gruesome and nearly made Elsa gag.

"Who is this, Rapunzel?" She rubbed her hands together in her lap under the table and couldn't decide whether to look at Rapunzel or the injured woman in front of her. Her eyes were only half open but it appeared like she wasn't registering anything around her. The sight of dried blood covering the girl's face brought back unsavory memories to Elsa, she felt her stomach churning and her heartbeat increase. "And what happened to her?" Her voice was shaking, and she looked towards Rapunzel for some kind of solace.

The brunette shrugged and began shuffling through her purse. "I was walking to the parking lot to meet my cousin for lunch, so I came down the stairs and I just saw this chick laying on the floor!" She looked up from her purse when she found a small package of baby wipes. She pulled one up and raised the woman's chin and began wiping the dried blood off. "She's barely conscious and hasn't said a single word yet." Rapunzel grimaced when she saw just how much blood she collected on the baby wipe already. She groaned and winced. "Oh, her nose may be broken."

"Do you know who it is?" Elsa leaned across the table to try and help, but shot back to her seat when the woman grimaced when Rapunzel brought the baby wipe up to her obviously sore cheek.

"I don't know who it is! The last time I saw this much blood running out of somebodies nose is when I slapped my boyfriend when a frying pan!" Rapunzel was nearly in hysterics and freaking out when she had to replace the baby wipe for another new one when it was covered in blood. She would lightly dab some places but vigorously scrub others, clearly not thinking very straight.

_A frying pan? _Elsa narrowed her eyes and stared at the brunette making squeamish faces as she continued to clean up dry blood. _Why does that story sound so familiar? _She delved into the corners of her mind, but Elsa could not figure out where she heard a similar story before. But was pulled back into reality at the sound of her name.

"Elsa, that's your name right?" Elsa gave a quick nod. "Her face is swollen really bad, could you head over to the infirmary and grab a bag of ice? Or a cold pack? Or anything cold that would help?" She sounded desperate, but Elsa wasn't about to venture out on her own in this situation. But she did have an idea.

She placed her purse in her lap under the table and reached around for the water bottle she knew was in there. When she found it, she grasped it tight with both hands causing an audible crinkle which got Rapunzel's attention.

"Do you have something?" She asked with a hopeful gleam in her green eyes, she had gotten most of the blood off of the injured woman but she still looked pretty worse for wear. Hair was still stuck to her swollen face which was nearly as red as her hair.

"I-I think so." Elsa said shakily, she knew she could help but wasn't sure if it was the smartest idea. She had never used her powers in front of anyone other than her parents, Aleks, or her grandmother. But she couldn't sit there and do nothing. She felt her palms start to sweat and she shifted uncomfortably, knowing she was taking a risk. So, summoning all the courage she could, Elsa quickly froze the water inside the bottle. With a shaking arm, she handed the frozen bottle of water to Rapunzel whom she hoped with her entire being that wouldn't notice anything odd about it.

"Thank you!" Rapunzel snatched it from Elsa's hand without a second glance and placed it on the side of the woman's swollen face. Much to the woman's dismay.

"Ay! That's really cold!" She shrieked as her eyes shot open and Rapunzel shot back. "What'd' ye' have to go and do that for!?" The stern gaze she was giving the brunette softened and suddenly turned to curious as she looked around her and tried to catch her bearings. She grimaced when she noticed the pile of bloodied baby wipes in the center of the table. Her eyes eventually caught Elsa's worried gaze and shifted back to Rapunzel's shocked expression. Then back to Elsa's before returning to Rapunzel's. "Who are you two and where am I?" The accent she spoke with was actually fairly charming to Elsa's ears, and the genuinely enjoyed it. It was thick and foreign and just fun to listen to.

Rapunzel placed the water bottle on the table and placed her hands in her laps. "Well, I'm Rapunzel and this is Elsa." She said as she waved her arm over to the blonde who offered a meek little wave and tried at a smile. "I found you laying on the floor on my way to the parking lot."

"Oh yeah! I slipped and fell down the stairs." Her face grew concerned as she brushed some of the matted hair from her face and stared at the ground intently. "I'm not too sure how I went and did that though."

"Well, what do you remember?" Elsa asked, half curious and half just wanting to hear her speak more. She leaned forward as she placed her elbows on the table and cradled her head in her hands.

"Well," The redhead started as she brushed more hair out of her face. "I was well on my way down the stairs, minding my own business and everything when I ran into this..." Her face scrunched with disgust. "This dobber-" From the tone of her voice, Elsa assumed that was a particularly nasty insult. "-bitch! And she started laughing at me and calling me nasty names!" She balled one hand into a fist and punched her other hand multiple times, which caused Elsa to flinch with every punch. "She was mocking me! So I thought I'd teach the bugger a lesson and I right did! I went to walk away back to my own business and the next thing I remember was falling!" She shrugged and let her arms fall freely into her lap.

Rapunzel opened her mouth to comment, but was cut off when the redhead butted in. "Oh! And my name is Merida by the way. I'd like to thank you two for taking care of me when I had my lights knocked out."

"Well, do you remember what this woman looked like, Merida?" Rapunzel finally got out.

"A lot like you, actually." Merida put bluntly as she pointed towards Elsa, much to her surprise.

"What?" Elsa was taken back as Merida nodded.

_Aleks!_ _Why doesn't this surprise me? I love you, sis, but this is crazy._ Elsa began to think that her sister just had a thing against redheads. She thought about what possibly could have happened that would set Aleks off like that, but suddenly remembered how short a fuse her sister could have. Her eyes shot open with shock when she realized how Merida fell down the stairs. _She didn't fall! She slipped!_ She clenched her fists in her lap, digging her nails into her palms. _On ice! Aleks' ice!_ She would have to talk to her later, she was currently in complete disbelief that she would be that reckless. Elsa's stomach was in knots when she thought about how horribly wrong that situation could have played out.

"Elsa!" Her gaze was shot over to Rapunzel when she called her name. "Are you alright? You look like you just saw a ghost."

She shook her head and waved the brunette off before shifting her eyes to Merida. "I'm afraid you had a run in with my twin, Merida."

"Your sister is a ninny."

"Yes, I'm aware." She sighed and rubbed her temples. "I apologize on her behalf, I really do."

"It isn't your fault, Elsa." Rapunzel added in as she placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder which nearly caused her to jump. "You're not held responsible for her actions." She offered a small but reassuring smile.

Elsa placed her own hand on top Rapunzel's and returned the smile. "Thank you, but rest assured I'll talk to her about it." She pulled out her phone from her purse and sent a quick text to her twin telling her to meet her in Elsa's dorm in thirty minutes.

Merida stood up and arched her back in a deep stretch, she winced when she straightened back up and placed her hands on her hips.

"You aren't sore?" Rapunzel asked in disbelief, one does not simply fall down a staircase and walk off with just a little dust on their shoulder.

"Sore isn't the word for it lassie! I hurt all over!" She laughed it off and gave Rapunzel a hearty slap on the shoulder. "But I have three brothers – triplets. I've learned to take a beating over the years." She shrugged again before giving a wave and a smile to the two girls still sitting at the table. "But I need to get back, I think my next class is starting up soon. I'll be seeing you two around though!"

"Oh! I'm late!" Rapunzel remarked as she scrambled out of her chair. Before leaving the study hall, she gave an enthusiastic wave at Elsa. "See you around!"

And with that, Elsa was alone and seething with disappointment and anger. She shot up and didn't even bother to push her chair back in as she slung her purse over her shoulder and stormed out of the room. The people crowding the halls didn't even phase her as she made her way outside of the double glass doors with only one thing on her mind. The walk back to the dorm building seemed short as she went over phrases in her head about how she was going to chastise Aleks. When she entered the double glass doors, she was surprised to find how empty it was. Normally the lobby had people lounging about. Figuring most people were either in classes or out for lunch, she entered the elevator and slapped the button hard enough to send a shock of pain up her arm but she didn't care. The five floor elevator ride was spent steaming and as she neared the door, she bared her teeth and felt a fire in her chest. As she inserted her key card and started turning the knob she had a death grip on, she threw open the door as it caused a loud thud when it swung all the way back and hit the knob.

"Sup." Aleks was lounging on the recliner with her legs thrown over the arm, playing on her phone. She didn't even look up at Elsa as she walked in.

"Sup is all you have to say to me?" Elsa accused as she slammed the door and threw her purse on the coffee table in the middle of the living room.

Aleks shrugged. "I don't know. What's up? Any better?"

Elsa scoffed and loomed over her twin, blonde curls were nearly touching her face. "What's up? How about an unconscious Scottish woman?"

"Oh, you heard about that?" She had a smug grin as she looked up at Elsa's menacing face.

"I also heard she just happened to fall down the stairs." She raised her voice slightly, hoping to get Aleks' full attention from her phone.

"Well, she should watch her step." Aleks shrugged it off.

"After she fought somebody who looked an awful lot like me. Cut your bullshit, Aleks!" Elsa straightened up and couldn't believe how nonchalant her sister was. "She didn't fall, she slipped!"

Aleks looked up from her phone as she stuck it in her back pocket and locked eyes with Elsa's. "So?"

Something inside Elsa snapped as she started seeing red. All the frustration from the past few years all seemed to bubble up from within her stomach as her heart started to race. "So? Aleks don't you understand the risk!?" Snow started to form around Elsa's slender figure and slowly started to fall into a lazy rotation around her. "How could you be so reckless to use these powers we have – this curse we have, so nonchalantly!"

Aleks stood up from the recliner and shook her head, ignoring the snowflakes hitting her pale skin. "You dare say I take these powers nonchalantly?" She raised her hand as a flurry of ice and snow appeared and dissipated in her palm. "Everything I've done for you-" She raised her eyebrows and gave a small laugh. "-for us? And you think I take this nonchalantly?"

"Yes! You know what would happen if people fou-"

"Nobody will find out!" Aleks stepped closer towards her sister, ice forming on the ground with every step. "Elsa, there's nothing in this world I take more seriously than you or these powers."

"Then act like it! Act like the sister I know you are and don't be so reckless!" She snow around her started picking up speed as random strands of hair started to catch in the breeze.

The response gained a chuckle from Aleks. "You want to talk to me about being a sister when I haven't seen you since we've arrived?" Her eyes widened as she took another step closer, causing more ice to creep across the floor.

"I'm taking your advice! I'm making friends!" The storm picked up again as her hair whipped across her face and she heard something from the kitchen fall to the floor. "Which is more than you've done cause all you've managed to do was make enemies!" She was nearly shouting to have herself be heard over the howling of the wind.

"By ostracizing your sister? Again, after all I've done for you? Do you think I like these powers, Elsa? Aleks spat as she extended her arms and shoved her twin. "All I've ever done is protect you!" Icicles began to form on the ceiling, extending down to a point and casting reflections across the ice skittered across the floor.

"I never asked you to protect me, Aleks!" Elsa shouted in pure anger as the fire in her chest grew larger. She saw Aleks clench her fists and bite her lip as she grunted in frustration, when she looked up at Elsa she noticed a single tear carving it's way down her cheek that froze by the time it reached her chin. "You don't have another snarky remark this time, Aleks? Don't have some snide jo-"

"I killed our father, Elsa!"

The room grew quiet as the swirling storm suspended in mid air, not a single movement from any snowflake. Elsa's arms dropped to her sides as she fell to her knees and her eyes widened in memory. She felt everything, every accusation from her father and every beating. Every tear that cascaded down her pale face as she failed to defend herself. Every worthless feeling she would get when she was too afraid to try and protect Aleks from the same punishment. She remembered the screams of her father as he was hurled from the balcony. She felt not only the sadness, but the relief when she heard Aleks tell her that nobody was going to hurt her anymore. She missed her mother.

Aleks bent over and gripped at her hair, fighting to get words out. "I was the reason he fell from the balcony!" Her voice was trembling and Elsa could see teardrops falling from her face, freezing and shattering as they hit the icy floor. "I couldn't stand it anymore, Elsa!" Her voice was strained and forced. "I saw him beating you again, and I-I I just couldn't take it anymore! The flurry that sent him falling from the balcony was mine!" She fell to her knees and her forehead hit the icy floor. "It was to protect you, Elsa!"

Elsa wasn't sure what to make of her twin's confession. A part of her kinda knew all along that she had a role to play for her father's death, but she never wanted to admit it. But it suddenly gave more sense to all of her sister's actions. The tears falling from Elsa's face was only a reminder of how weak she always has been. But as she wiped her eyes free, she decided no more. She wasn't going to be this helpless little girl who needed her sister to come and save the day. She didn't want to be that same little girl who spent every night in fear of another drunken rage from her father. She only grew frustrated and angry at her sister for keeping her in the dark for so long, and preventing her from being independent. The past few days with Anna taught Elsa that she was so much more capable than what she thought she was.

Elsa looked up at the snowflakes suspended around her, and how their reflections bounced off the icicles and onto the floor. There was certainly a beauty in these powers that she couldn't deny. But there was also great danger. Every hope she had of being normal was ripped to shreds at the reminder of the ice and snow at her command. But she was going to take control.

"Leave." Elsa muttered slowly and solemnly.

"What?" Aleks looked up in disbelief.

"You heard me." Elsa repeated sternly as she stood back up and made her way to the door which was coated in a layer of frost. The tension in the room was enough to put Elsa's stomach in knots. She didn't want to send her sister away, but she felt like it was a necessity. She loved her dearly, but she needed to be independent from her. And at this moment in time, it sickened her to look at her.

"Elsa, what happened? How coul-"

Aleks' words were cut off from a blast of ice that exploded next to her, causing her to jump.

"I said leave, Aleks!" Elsa shouted with tears streaming down her face. She watched her broken sister collect herself and pick herself up off of the floor. She wiped residual snow from her arms and slowly made her way to the door. When she approached Elsa, she opened her mouth to say something, but instead just shook her head and silently left. The last thing Elsa saw was frost lined across her sister's eyes. Frozen tears from a broken heart.

* * *

"What's on your mind, Anna?" Rapunzel asked as she turned down the radio in her car. Anna turned her attention from the window and the buildings outside of it to her cousin. Ever since Rapunzel was late in picking her up, Anna had hardly said a word to her which was totally unlike her. Her mind was obviously on other things, and she just hadn't felt like talking. She scratched the back of her head, careful not to mess with the bun she worked so hard on a couple hours prior and shrugged.

"I've just been thinking I guess." Anna commented as she drummed her fingers on her knees, lost in thought again.

"Would you like to spill the beans or should I get the can opener?" Rapunzel said lightheartedly as she pointed to a frying pan that sat in the back seat. "Ask Eugene about the can opener." A small laugh escaped her lips as Anna knew exactly what she was talking about.

"That thing is a little more than a can opener." Anna laughed and began counting on her fingers. "Can opener, baseball bat, golf club, back scratcher on more than one occasion." That comment earned a giggle from Rapunzel.

"Okay, you know it works!" She retorted with a large grin and a small chuckle.

"Oh hold up, I'm not done. Ping pong paddle, home defense mechanism, a hammer, and it's really useful for breaking the smolder of a Eugene Fitzherbert." She finished, feeling confident from the giggles that escaped her cousin's mouth which she couldn't help but copy.

"He knows not to wake up from napping anymore!" She shrugged and shot Anna a smug grin amongst the laughter. "But really, Anna-banana, what's going on up stairs?"

"Nothing much as usual." Anna shrugged and readjusted herself in the car seat. Messing with the air conditioning vent, she found a comfortable position that had a steady stream of cool air blessing her face. She turned to look at Rapunzel who was giving her a knowing look from the corner of her eye. She always knew when something was bugging Anna, and this case was no exception.

"Anna." She said drawn out and sternly, waiting for Anna to share what's on her mind.

"I just think I have a crush on somebody, Punzpunz. That's all." Hoping to alleviate her cousins worry with the use of a childhood nickname that died out years ago. Anna rested her head against the window, and even though she was in the safety of the air conditioned car she could still feel the humidity from outside.

"Ooh! What's his name? Is he cute? Is he the nerdy type or the athletic type? You've always seemed go to after the athletic ones!" Rapunzel's excitement was clear from the tone in her voice. She kept rambling on and on about different kind of guys and trying to guess the exact person Anna was crushing on but all Anna could do was shake her head. Eventually running out of ideas, Rapunzel admitted defeat. "Then who is it, Anna?" She asked as she turned a corner, causing Anna to bump her head rather forcefully into the window. "Sorry."

Anna waved her off and swept a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Well, Rapunzel..." In an unsure tone and nearly in a whisper. "I never said it was a guy." She shrugged and turned to face out of the window again, too embarrassed to see her cousin's reaction.

"Damn, I owe Eugene money." Was the only response that came from her.

Anna perked back up and turned to look at her cousin who had a large grin. "Wait, what?" She was taken back as she adjusted herself to turn towards Rapunzel. "You had a bet going with your boyfriend about my sexuality?"

Rapunzel giggled and playfully shoved Anna's shoulder. "It was never about your sexuality, it was about when you would come out." She sensed the confusion from Anna and further explained. "You never looked really interested in any of the guys you dated, so it was fairly clear that either you had a string of bad luck choosing guys or that you were gay." She concluded with an affirming nod and another smile.

Accepting her answer and shrugging it off, Anna sat back in her seat and crossed her arms. "So why do you owe Eugene money?"

"He said you would come out within your first month here, I figured it would take you at least until sophomore year."

Anna sat there in a pout, unsure of what to think about the bet between her cousin and her boyfriend. She really did like the guys she dated in the past, and had good memories with them. But in hindsight, maybe it did seem like she wasn't really interested in them. But her crush on Elsa and having a crush on a girl in general had been the only thing on her mind and she didn't know what to think of that either. The short amount of time spent with Elsa has already given her fond memories. From that first day going to the mall, to losing at chess every night. Catching lunch at a local ice cream shop just down the street from the campus to the day Anna suggested they play mini golf. She thought she was just forming an actual friendship with the blonde, but the more she thought about it the more she realized that what she was feeling was a little more than just friendship. _It really doesn't help that she looks so good! She was adorable in hoodies, but she's straight sexy when she dresses up!_

"Shake the salt off, Anna. Love is love no matter how you look at it, and I don't think of you any differently." Rapunzel said with a reassuring hand on Anna's shoulder which caused her to look up and meet the green eyes of her cousin. "Now what's her name?" Rapunzel smiled as Anna let out a small sigh.

"I'm not going to tell you her name." The look on Rapunzel's face perfectly showed off her disapproval. "But she's smart, blonde, and really pretty! And actually once you get to know her a little bit she's pretty funny too!"

"Well she sounds nice." Rapunzel commented as she ran a hand through her short brown hair. "I'm thinking of growing my hair out and going blonde, actually."

Anna cocked an eyebrow at her cousin and twirled a finger through her hair. "You mean going natural?" She added and smiled when Rapunzel rolled her eyes at her.

"Whatever you'd like to call it, I'm kind of tired of the brown. I think Eugene prefers the blonde anyway." Rapunzel shrugged and suddenly perked up, causing Anna to jump back slightly. "Oh! Which reminds me! You know Eugene is starting to do hair now?"

Anna laughed and slapped her knee, not willing to believe how a manly guy like Eugene would get involved with cosmetology. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Not at all! My mother called him over one day to cut her hair cause you know how strange she can be-"

"That's where you get it from you know." The comment from Anna caused her to be playfully shoved again.

"-Shut up. Anyway, it turns out he's really good at doing hair and has actually started offering it as a thing on the side at the Snuggly Duckling." She finished and shrugged.

"Isn't the Snuggly Duckling that sketchy bar he works at though?" Anna asked, holding back giggles from the thought of a bunch of muscular, malicious, and scary men getting hair cuts at an equally scary bar.

"It isn't that bad, and a lot of the regulars there are actually really cool people once you get to know them. They just have a bad rep. You know Vladimir collects ceramic unicorns?" Rapunzel laughed at the shocked expression from Anna who was still fighting back giggles.

"Is this the same Vladimir that once slashed a guys tires for taking up two parking spaces? And what were you doing in a bar anyway, Rapunzel?" Anna asked as she crossed her arms and shot her cousin a suspicious look.

"You know I don't drink or anything, I just like to pop in through the back door every now and then to visit Eugene." She explained. Anna knew she was telling the truth and shrugged, Rapunzel has never been the one to lie to her.

"So Eugene does hair now, huh?"

* * *

Anna left the elevator once it dinged, indicating she had reached her floor. After her and Rapunzel had lunch, she went to her last class of the day and was just getting back to the apartment with dinner on her mind. _Maybe I'll make burgers, it's been awhile since I had a good burger. Does Elsa like burgers? I bet she would like some lasagna, but I don't know if I have the noodles for lasagna. _She absentmindedly made her way to the dorm door and stuck her key card in, after a click from the door the had to push a little harder to normal to get the door open as frost fell off of the door frame. _Oh! Or maybe some fajitas. I do enjoy some fajitas. It's even fun to say Fajitas, fajitas, fajitas..._ She made her way to the kitchen table which still had a lair of ice over it and set her bag on top of it. Walking to the refrigerator, she forced it open and began searching the contents completely oblivious of the layer of ice and frost over everything in the dorm and the icicles looming off of the ceiling. _Hey! There's still some shredded cheese left! Maybe I'll make a casserole or something. Does Elsa like casserole? _She pulled the package of cheese from the fridge and stood up. "Hey El-"

Her words were cut off when she noticed the layer of frost and ice covering everything. She placed the cheese on the counter and carefully made her way to the couch as to not slip and fall on the ice. _It's like a winter wonderland! Oh man, this is cool! Literally!_ Upon reaching the couch, she looked over it to find Elsa curled into herself in a deep slumber. The only sign she was even alive was from her visible breath amongst the cold. Her hair had no signs of curl left in it and was wildly windswept behind her, and even it appeared to have a layer of frost over it as it looked nearly white. "Hey, Elsa!" Anna poked the blonde on her side. "Psst! Elsa!"

Elsa's eyes shot open as she scrambled to sit up, she frantically shifted her gaze from wall to wall before she looked behind her and met Anna's turquoise eyes with her own widened blues. "Anna!" She shrieked as she scrambled to her feet and cast out her arms in self defense. "I can explain all of this!" Her voice was hoarse, and even weak as she desperately pleaded.

Anna chuckled at how frantic the blonde was, she made a whole three sixty as she observed everything from the ice she was standing on and gasped when she saw her reflection from the icicles hanging from the ceiling. She reached out and gingerly touched a snowflake that was suspending motionless in the air, sending a pleasant coolness up her arm. "Explain what? This is awesome! Did you do this?"

Elsa wiped a tear from her eye that was threatening to fall. "Anna, this isn't awesome. It's horrible!" She fell onto the couch and let out a deep sigh, visible breath lingering in the air. "Yes, it's my fault. It's all my fault." She admitted in defeat.

Anna pursed her lips as she knelt down and collected a handful of snow that had collected in a bank on the back of the couch. When she eventually had three snowballs stacked on top of each other in descending order of size, she reached into her pocket and ripped off the extra buttons. She placed them on the smallest snowball on the top for eyes. She pulled out a pencil from her back pocket and tore off the eraser, placing it just below the eyes to form a nose. Anna then broke the pencil and split it in half, exposing the led. She broke the led into small pieces and stuck them just below the nose to form a smile. She took the remaining pieces of led to form buttons going down the middle snowball. With her snowman finished, she stood up and placed it on the back of the couch. She nudged Elsa to get her attention, and she looked up at her through teary eyes.

"Elsa, you say this is horrible. But how can something so horrible create something so cute?" She said enthusiastically with a smile as Elsa picked up the small snowman from the back of the couch and laid it in her lap. She wiped one of her eyes with the heel of her palm and gave a weak chuckle.

"He's missing arms, Anna." Her voice was nearly in a whisper and soft as a mouse. When an idea came to Anna's mind, she walked over to the counter and ripped off a couple stems from the bag of grapes that was held in a fruit bowl after she brushed the frost off of it. She returned to the couch and plopped down right in front of Elsa, she turned the snowman around and stuck the grape stems into the center snowball.

"There! Now he's perfect." She said with a reassuring smile as she readjusted herself and placed a hand on Elsa's heel.

Elsa turned the snowman back around and smiled weakly at it as a single tear fell from her chin. "Why aren't you afraid of me? All of this-" She gestured to the entire room. "-is my fault. These powers – this curse that I was born with, I'm just a mon-"

"Hey now!" Anna cut her off and gave another wide smile. "I don't need any explanation for it. The Elsa I've met isn't dangerous in any way shape or form. She's smart, funny, and quite frankly beautiful in my opinion." The meek smile from the girl across from her caused confidence to swell up in Anna's chest. "I'm not afraid, and you shouldn't be afraid either. I haven't had any clue about any of this up until now, which tells me you do a pretty good job of controlling whatever this is. Therefore, why would I be afraid."

"Normally I can control it with little to no issue..." Elsa started with a sigh. She looked down at the snowman again and smiled. "But sometimes it just... happens, and I don't mean it to." Her shoulders slumped and she fell back against the arm of the couch.

"It's strange, yeah. But I mean how cool is it to have a roommate who has really badass ice powers!" Anna commented, trying to cheer Elsa up to some avail. "It's like you're from the X-men or something!"

Elsa gave another weak chuckle and straightened back up. She picked up the small snowman and set it down gingerly on the coffee table. "I'm not even sure Charles Xavier would accept me."

"Well, I accept you." Anna placed one hand over Elsa's and the other on the side of her face, wiping away a frozen tear on the side of the blonde's face. "Crazy ice powers or not, I know you'll never hurt me or anyone for that matter."

Elsa smiled softly and looked up at Anna, a slight blush growing across her face. "Promise you won't tell anyone?" Elsa asked, unsure.

Anna brought a hand up to her chest and drew an 'x' over her heart. "Cross my heart." She said with a reassuring smile. She took the moment to stare into Elsa's blue eyes, and although filled with sadness she could tell that there was relief in there somewhere. If it were up to Anna, she would have stayed there in that moment forever. Although shaken up and worried, to her, Elsa was the most beautiful creature on the planet. She knew it couldn't last though, and every moment felt like an eternity."But quite frankly it's getting a little cold so could you do something about that?" She tried to lighten the mood with another chuckle.

"Yeah, I can try to." Elsa said as she broke from Anna's gaze and stood up from the couch.

"Do. Or do not. There is no try, young Elsa."

Elsa turned around and cocked an eyebrow at Anna. "Did you just quote Star Wars at me?"

Anna shrugged and smiled. Elsa returned the gesture as she turned back around and looked down at the small snowman. Button eyes staring blankly back at her. She smiled as she extended her hand, and a small cloud formed over the snowman and small snowflakes began to fall from the cloud.

"What's that for?" Anna asked as she scooted over on the couch and leaned forward, inspecting the small cloud.

"So that it doesn't melt when I fix this mess." Elsa commented as she raised her arms and clapped them together, and all of the ice and snow in the room came together to form a large snowflake above her head. The ice from the floor shot up in a dense fog, as did the icicles hanging off of the ceiling. The large snowflake cast the entire room in a light blue hue as it slowly rotated, and when Elsa separated her hands, it disappeared in a cool breeze that caused shivers to trail down Anna's spine.

With a smile, Anna stood up and brought her arms around Elsa's waist and brought her in for a hug. "I knew you could do it."


End file.
